


Roses Are for Lyrics

by skyepie



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: M/M, Multi, also fight scenes, and blood, bullshit magic, may the Goddess Muse have mercy on your soul, more rose symbolism than you need in your life, prepare for angst, there is sex so don't say I didn't warn you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-18
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-03-02 01:11:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 50,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2794313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyepie/pseuds/skyepie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A cracky, wacky love-com that gets stupidly dramatic. Ryuuya Hyuuga and Ren Jinguji are boyfriends. Stuff happens. Magic galore. It's like one of Cecil's routes, but blown way out of proportion. There are also as many clichés as there are people on Earth.</p><p>**This isn't proper lit format at all!! I just collected a bunch of scenarios together for someone.**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ryuuya Gets a Tan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [an ordinary and princely shitlord](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=an+ordinary+and+princely+shitlord).



> Aaaah, where do I start- this began as a RyuRen scenario that kept going on and on, until suddenly it was a billion pages long. The story gets progressively more and more detailed in its scenes. I tried to keep everyone in-character, but I'll admit to needing some work. Written in present tense & third person omniscient. It was originally made in a chatbox for Giulia. I'm posting it again for her amusement (Merry belated Christmas). Please note that it isn't in a proper story format at all! There may be stylish text and typos since I'm only lightly editing each chapter before posting them.

Okay, so, here's 411. STARISH went over-budget with some event or concert, something in which the idols became a little overzealous, and took a lot of creative license and/or demanded too much, something like that. It may have been ignored for a while, but they got into trouble for spending a lot of money. That's background info.

Present-day. Shining has an elaborate punishment scheme, so he orders a set amount of days of work to be cleared and cancelled from their schedule, and then orders them to work out that time in the office part of the agency/school/agency/whatever/something.

Of course, Shining is like 'vacation time, ppl', and whisks a set amount of office workers away to his private island doubling as a paradise resort. Ryuuya is one of them, and is the most hesitant, declines, and asks to stay behind—but is somehow persuaded anyway.

BUT HE'S LIKE PARANOID, or a workaholic, one or the other, or both, and BRINGS a cellphone and laptop with him so he can constantly monitor what's going on. Shining is like 'no, dude', and constantly lines up resort activities that he forces everyone to participate in, therefore not giving Ryuuya much free time except to check in with his mobile.

So STARISH are at the office, and they're failing everything miserably. It's a mess of papers and crap, and only a few of them— like Masa, Otoya, and Natsuki end up coming dressed in suits—ffff. Also, Ren unknowingly chooses to work at Ryuuya's station/desk, but realizes it's his almost immediately.

There are a few locked drawers and he gets really, really curious, bahah.

But of course, Ryuuya checks in with them through Ren's mobile. He ends up giving solid advice to each of them, which Ren relays to them from the texts. It's really helpful, and they end up taking care of things almost adequately.

Ryuuya, of course, spends a lot of time helping Ren with his work, like, the teen obviously doesn't do office stuff or really anything mind-numbing, so the guidance is necessary.

Ryuuya also sends them pictures of himself in weird events, situations, and other activities set up by Shining on the island.

Ren is still curious, and tries to look for a key to the locked drawers, but even asking about it gets suspicious answers, however that motivates him even more.

While he's looking around, Ryuuya shares his feelings about not being comfortable there, and wanting to be back already. This somehow gets Ren to quit his little adventure game of being a nosy little shit, and instead finishes his work while genuinely having a heart2heart conversation with him.

The guys ask if there's any other important orders that they should follow, but the texts are obviously not for them, so they get a little suspicious/curious/or have these knowing looks on their face, something like that, bahaha.

Somehow the boys get everything under control, even more-so in less than two days (and they have a lot of office scares and problems that need Ryuuya's help ;; gosh, those boys..)— but right now we're still on the first day. Or night. It's night-time already, yes.

The rest of the office is packing up, they say goodnight to the boys and vice versa. Oh, right, they were in a completely different area from the other workers, so their tasks were much different, and there was not a lot they could do about asking for help from them. Anyway—

Right before the guys leave, Ren starts sexting Ryuuya to gouge some interesting reactions, but it gets a little too out of hand, and he stays behind after everyone goes. He may or may not have gotten—ok, he essentially gets nude, and sends photos of himself on Ryuuya's desk, and touching his possessions, so yeah, it gets really carried away, ok done—

Alright, I will sort of elaborate. Ren does some naughty in-the-nude things, and I guess Ryuuya does too, in response. But here's where it gets golden. The janitors are still fucken there, and one of them slips into the office and turns on the light— WHAM! That is the sound of a freaked out Ren breaking the sound barrier while he runs so fast he cries tears. Grabs his things and, whilst hopping into some essentials really quickly, dashes past the janitor, and makes it out of the building fully clothed. He takes a night bus back.

Ah, he's obviously not in the mood anymore, so breaking the news to Ryuuya, who's in the middle of doing ...things, and wondering what happened ?? ? is very hard to do. Poor guy. On the other side of the texts, his face is all '?!? ;; argh..'

The next day, as I said before, LOTS of office problems again. But different from the day before, kind of new stuff, like a load of unusual work forced on them by outside unforeseen circumstances that the agency usually has to deal with every once in a while.. This time, Ryuuya can barely help, because he also gets stressed out like crazy when it happens.

Oh yeah, and Shining is aware of everything that's going on, but still care-freely plays volleyball on the beach with his employees. Either he had a hand in this, he's testing them, or he has incredible faith, just being all-knowing, I guess.

Nobody understands how it really even happened, but Masato staples his hand by accident. He also just stares at it, in tremendous shaking, shock, and silence ;;||||||||!!! and of course Tokiya and Ren are the first ones out of their seat, by his side in milliseconds, accompanying him to the medical room in the building.

The rest of the boys are pretty stunned too, but snap out of it and use the time to put their heads together to think about a solution for their big problem.

Ryuuya's so worried and paranoid, he over-indulges in the tropical drinks and gets a little you-know-what. He's literally the only worry-wart, being the lone worker that sits back under the umbrella with a fixed frown on his face. They're around the pool though, and Shining.. well everyone starts to cheer and chant, and next thing we know, Shining is doing a canon-ball into the pool next to him. His mobile gets wet, but it's still safe. The awkward luck doesn't end there, however.

I don't understand why Masa needs two helpers, but whatever. Tokiya rushes for the antiseptics and bandages, while Ren very carefully gets the staple out. He left his mobile back in the office, so it rings like crazy without being picked up. The rest of the STARISH boys stare at it suspiciously/knowingly with smirks everytime it does that— and only Otoya comments that it might be an emergency, and offers to check just in case (he's already walking), but Natsuki picks him up and brings him back, a cutesy smile on his face like, "Now, Now, Otoya-chan.."

Sensei gets really fed up and decides to go up to his room. Remember, he's tipsy, so it actually takes some effort to get there, because he has to climb a staircase. By the time he gets up there (it's at the top floor, sucker), he's tired and annoyed. And still worried. And maybe also a little annoyed at Ren for not texting back yet.

He busts into that room, and wow. The window/door to the balcony is wide open, and his floor covered in a puddle of water. Things are drenched or damp a bit. No worries, it wasn't from Shining's canon-ball – but they did experience a heavy rain shower before, and the trees were blowing pretty hard. So on a list of permanently damaged things: the cellphone adapter/charger still plugged into the wall near the floor. Oh the tragedy, oh the HORROR—

Everyone's back in the office and doing their work, though the situation is still tense. Thank goodness Masato only hurt his left hand. (baby ;;;)

Ren gets in touch with Ryuuya, and the couple finds out they have limited time together (Ryuuya's phone is on the red bar, and his charger's busted, so). Ryuuya adds in as much detailed advice as he can about the work situation. He also plans to tell Rens to forget about chatting with him, and to concentrate on his work despite there being so little battery left. Well, Ren surprises him instead, saying that he's gotta stop talking frivolously with Ryuuya to finally get some work done. So yeah, Ryuuya's impressed at first, but then it just gets annoying, and he's kinda upset for some reason ? ??

His laptop still works fine, so he manages to send at least two emails in the time spent away, and receive two small but reassuring replies.

All things cleaned up and settled, Ryuuya goes back outside. Ringo's there too, and persuades him to relax more, pulling his lawn-chair into the sun and putting a pair of sunglasses on him. Yeah, he falls asleep. And three hours later, wakes up with a sunburn and the sunglasses marking his face. (Bahaha)

YO, SOMEHOW... They solve the big ass problem that's been plaguing them (who knows what it was?), and the STARISH boys go out to celebrate with dinner and dessert.

Ren contemplates staying behind to find the key to those locked desk drawers, but then remembers that the janitors are coming soon, and he very hurriedly joins them.

That night, Shining gathers all his trusted fellow workers ...and has them all dress in tropical tribal wear and makeup. (DON'T ASK..) There's a bonfire and lots of yummy, fresh, roasted, and barbecued food. And plenty of drink.

Apparently there's a volcano on the island dedicated to the great Muse that's active once every 14 years. And it supposedly brings great musical fortune in the following 14 years to whomever can please the goddess—usually by sacrificing a tribute of song. This can be a beloved instrument, or a composition. Let's just say that Shining already has a chopper filled with very, very used instruments on its way—but he wants each and everyone, by the firelight, to compose a song from the heart. It could be actual notes, or lyrics, both, whatever.

Ryuuya's the second last to finish this task. He spends the remaining time pondering at Shining, who sits on the log opposite him and the bonfire, deep concentration as he finishes his composition— turns out the guy is more hard-working than most will understand.

So anyway, they all travel to the top of the volcano. This takes a lot of effort, people get dirty and scratched up some places, and it takes about an hour and a half, but they do make it to the top.

Shining says a few inspirational words, and all of them throw their papers in, watching them fly into the bubbling magma hundreds of feet down.

(Keep note: The trip is only 5 business days, with the employees departing at noon on Friday to make it in time for the evening.)

It's the third day, and Ren and the boys do absolutely fine. Nothing spectacular, but it's all efficient. Yay.

Ren couldn't sleep the night before. He regrets letting Ryuuya's battery die out while leaving him with cold words. He's maybe more softhearted than he lets on, at least under these circumstances.

Syo and Natsuki find him napping in the lounge at lunch.

Meanwhile, Ryuuya himself finds his luck to be improving, and although was left with barely any working communication devices and a bad sunburn/tan, still actually manages to enjoy himself and play along with everyone, hurrah.

Fourth day, same shit— some complications, but they work them out.

Ren's long given up looking for a key to the locked drawers; he assumes it's with Ryuuya, or at his home, or whatever.

Otoya and Natsuki, the sweethearts, ask everyone to go shopping with them at break/lunch. They want to buy pots of flowers, and in general have flower-filled-vases decorating the offices and hallways. It comes out of their own pocket money too, but they're all glad to chip in and do something nice.

They soon return with a bunch of colourful and pretty babies, and place 'em everywhere, how wonderful. Ren places a small vase on Ryuuya's desk, it holds an orange rose.

Back on the island, Ryuuya organizes a jogging group on the beach, and leads them like a born leader—they manage to make it almost all around the island. That was basically his highlight.

It's the 5th day, FINALLY, and Shining and the rest finally make it back to Saotome Agency by the evening, and they're all surprised by the change of scenery (flowers).

Yes, indeed, they even all have their suitcases, because somehow the jet lands them at the agency instead of an actual airport.

Ringo pokes fun at Ryuuya's weird tan as they make their way down the hall to where the STARISH boys are at. Naturally, they're greeted warmly, and with high respect and enthusiasm.

SHINING JUMPS THROUGH AN OPEN WINDOW INTO THE VERY SAME ROOM (?? ?? ? ?) AND CONGRATULATES THEM ALL FOR DOING A SPLENDID JOB. HE THEN FLASHES AROUND A VIDEO CAMERA (where the fuck did he get that) SAYING THAT HE'S GOT SOME AMAZING FOOTAGE SUMMARIZING THE WHOLE VACATION.

Of course, all the hyper boys are hugely interested when they hear the terms 'active volcano', so they shuffle out of the room to follow Shining into a conference/video room. Ringo drags Masa and Tokiya there too, despite their insisting against it. (Ringo is so smart, what an amazing bff, let's give him props.)

They're alone now, woooo! Okay, so Ren first makes fun of his weird tan, but Ryuuya shuts him up with a sweet (but longing-filled) kiss, so yay. He asks Ren how everything was, and they share a bit about their experiences. Then Ren puffs his cheeks, and annoyedly asks him what's in those locked drawers. The curiosity of not knowing grew and grew for a while, letting his mind come up with ridiculous and perverted fantasies. In all honesty, there was nothing special to it. He has the key on his person. Ryuuya holds it out to show him.

Finally, the actor opens the drawers one, by one... In one of them, a spare mobile charger. He gives Ren the key to open the last one while he goes off to plug in his phone. He plugs it into the electrical socket, watching in relief as his cell lights up.

Then, suddenly.. a dozen texts ring all at once. They must've been sent while it was dead. They're from Ren (uguuu) of course, documenting his day, or that he kinda missed him a bit (tsun), but as he keeps scrolling down, they just get more frisky, and uhm, he could tell the younger was seriously sexually deprived, 'cause he quickly passes a row of sexts and really hot images. This gets him kinda flushed—

Meanwhile, Ren opens the last drawer, and in it, finds nothing out of the ordinary except for a slightly crumpled piece of paper... it waS A MUSIC SHEET... aND when Ryuuya gets close again to see, he yanks it out of his hands in such a hurry! ;; Ren gets a little startled ?? He tries to ask what the matter is, but Ryuuya replies that he's just as confused. Because, yeah, it was the music sheet he threw into the volcano. His heart beats in a flurry, but it calms down, oddly, at the sight of the orange rose on his desk.

Ren tries to ask what's going on, but Ryuuya's too emotional to be patient. He dashes out of there and, upon brashly entering the video/conference room where everyone's watching vacation footage, smacks the music sheet into Shining's chest in an attempt to lure him outside ..and confront him about it. Shining complies, and a running Ren catches up not a moment too late, panting and out of breath.

Saotome unsurprisedly explains that the island ceremony would not honour everybody making a tribute, but rather the most worthy based on their sacrifice. The command was to compose a song from the heart, and apparently Muse was most pleased with Ryuuya's. Shining planned to have them all write songs to bring about this exact outcome, to win the ultimate prize — 14 years of musical fortune. He then promises the special composition will become an ultimate hit, bringing the company even more fame and revenue.

Shining also proposes that Ryuuya chooses any idol he sees fit to sing his song. He doesn't even give him the choice though, basically implies that the song HAS to become public. But it's very private to Ryuuya, so he's hesitant at first. But with quick deliberation, his mind is made up, and he turns to Ren, like, here. Sing it.

Is he a redhead?blond?idk, the teen takes the sheet and gives it a closer examination. Curiosity becomes satisfied, his expression changing ever so fast through a variety of emotions, even Ryuuya shivers while observing him. It's both music and lyrics, together, completed. That's why the older man took so long to write it. It does plainly need more work, a bit of tweaking, another chorus, etc, but the great Goddess knew of its potential.

Ren was almost sure that the song would be about something else, maybe even someone else..from the past. But it would appear that Muse seems to like things such as hope for the future, and love for the present. There was no coincidence in it being chosen. It was about him.

Shining realizes the same thoughts, now finally putting two and two together— since the song he wrote himself wasn't really about the present nor the future. But Shining knows it's these kinds of songs he wants to share with the world, because they have an active power to inspire people, and that's true magic.

Ren stares at the title. 'One Orange Rose'.

Well, the lyrics are contemporary (meaning not lame, or old fashioned, like old man Ryuuya—old man—old, old, old, chahaha!) but still vague enough— meaning they don't describe too many specific or unique details.

It's about their relationship of course. But it's a love song just lovely enough for anyone reading/listening to relate to it with their own experience/relationships, etc. And it's at about the same speed as Orange Rhapsody, and there's plenty room for classical instruments. It's written in Ryuuya's P.O.V. though, so asking Ren to sing it is like asking him to sing a love song about himself. But thankfully the opposite also applies, he can sort of see it as his own P.O.V. as well— aha, Ryuuya was that talented in writing it!

Ren's really touched, like, really, really. But his voice doesn't reciprocate that, when in a kind of distant tone, glazed eyes lost elsewhere, he returns the music sheet to Ryuuya, claiming "I only sing the Lady's songs."

Ryuuya is sort of relieved because he never explicitly wrote the song for it to be released. But would that mean someone else was going to sing it? FOR THE SPLIT OF A SECOND HE THINKS ABOUT SINGING IT HIMSELF...but soon enough shakes off the thought, waiting for Shining's opinion.

Shining knows that he's being really forceful, but the whole thing is very important. See, the company received the goddess's luck for many decades before, and they need to continue it that way. He steps in and half-jokingly offers to sing it in Ren's place, as a device to diffuse the rising tension. He's still only half-joking though.

Ryuuya hands the music sheet over to Shining, and very quietly (and with a tired, sinking, defeated aura) walks past Ren—in the direction to retrieve his suitcases and go home. He doesn't even make eye contact, though Ren's cerulean pools fish desperately for some kind of reassuring glimmer or curve of the mouth to show him that they were still okay. Dejected, Ren stalks off in the opposite direction, leaving behind a bewildered Shining wondering 'wtf happened?'

Ryuuya thinks himself an idiot for thinking even a second that Ren would sing his song. He knew deep down that Ren would only sing Haruka's songs. He wasn't mad at him, but rather at himself.. for believing in the slim possibility.

 


	2. I Forgot Cecil

The next day, STARISH is back to their regular idol routines, schedules doubly filled to compensate for missing out and cancelling things the week prior. Why yes, they even work weekends.

It's Saturday, and the group needs to check in with the agency for a briefing of events to come, along with a quick session of signing lots of forms necessary for the week's activities and jobs, etc. The boys are super duper curious though, the place is crawling with idols. Old idols, new idols, unknown idols. Even a few old classmates they recognize from before their debut. Something's strange...

The group accidentally splits up within minutes, each getting carried away with their strong desire to check out every other rival and possible friend.

Syo is talking to a guy on the floor that brought his own drums until MASATO RECKLESSLY BURSTS THROUGH THE CROWD WITH WIDE EYES AND then quickly composes himself like a pro. He grabs Syo's arm and calmly pulls him through the crowd.

Half a room away, Masato and Syo join up with their senpais, Ai and Ranmaru, who happen to be waiting/leaning against a pillar among the crowd of people.

Ren and Otoya walk toward them with Reiji, and Tokiya and— (I fucking forgot about Cecil's existence. Shitshitshitshitshitshit.)

(WHAT DO I DO?)

(DOUSHIO?!)

(I've got it: Cecil was not in the office before, because he couldn't figure out how to use a computer, or even work the printer, so Shining had him specially assigned to cleanup duty. That means he was part of janitorial staff. Which also means he may have heard a funny rumour about a certain carrot-top's naked butt.)

Ren and Otoya walk toward them with Reiji, whilst Cecil, Natsuki, Tokiya, and Camus follow from another direction. Now that STARISH and QN are grouped up, they finally get some answers.

Ranmaru offers this explanation: there was an overnight signal boost to the country giving any band and solo artist the possibility of taking on a certain song— one that's promised to come with a huge cut of the profit, not to mention a lot of other promotions, rights, free goodies, status, etc. With many jumping at the chance, auditions are being held all day everyday until someone is selected. Half a dozen auditoriums are to be used along with tons of empty rooms in the building. Even classrooms and stages in the nearby affiliated academy are rented out to auditions. Hundreds of non-participating idols and notorious judges were called on the scene to choose a winner.

Indeed, all of it makes sense to the boys then. The place is littered with flyers and posters more or less detailing the idea of the competition.

Ryuuya definitely gave Shining explicit permission for it to happen. He had to sign some papers to keep things fair. I mean, the importance of the company's success weighs over keeping his little creation personal.

Neither Ryuuya nor Ren have tried contacting each other yet, for each their own reasons. I suspect Ryuuya is a bit embarrassed among other complicated regrets. And Ren's still sorely wounded from the confusion of the night before, which bubbled up intensely until the lava hardened over— like that, a defense mechanism; he locked his feelings away behind an unfeeling layer of idgaf laxness. Kind of a temporary chain on the heart thing, at least until he gets a clear and definite understanding of the whole situation, because Ren's the most confused party in it. But he seems pretty chill now, and in some ways is, so long as he doesn't think too deeply about it.

With STARISH joined together again, and after leaving their senpai (who choose to participate in the competition), they go on ahead to the meeting room in which their briefing is to take place, despite all that is going on around them.

Well, guess who's there in the meeting room? Shining and Ringo. Saotome gives them all a brief explanation of what's happening, but gives them finer details such as the fact that it's Ryuuya's song, and that it was chosen by Muse to bring extraordinary fortune to them.

Cecil attests to this, so they all trust in the information, and are trusted in turn to keep it confidential.

Ringo explains that Ryuuya contacted him late in the evening the night before, about the possibility of taking on the song. Ringo thought it was a good idea too, until Shining intercepted their phone call making it a sudden 3-way (lmao).

During the call, Shining criticized that Ringo wasn't right for the song, saying that it didn't fit his idol style, and that a sudden change would upset the flow of his career— especially that were it to be a huge hit, it would completely destroy his trap image.

Ringo actually didn't mind that likelihood, since he was forced into that image anyway.

Still, Shining didn't want to take the risk to wreck up something he promoted and built up with Ringo for such a long time. So he devised a last-minute plan detailing the theory of auditioning hundreds of possible idols. By this time of night, Ryuuya was fed up and tired, and quickly hung up after giving Shining his "Do whatever" permission.

Back to the present. Shining basically bans all of them from auditioning separately, but they could do so as a band. However, none of them wish to compete together because they too had vowed to only sing Haruka's songs.

Still, we get a closeup of a Ren in deep thought.

Shining bans them from singing separately because he doesn't want one of them getting more successful than the rest, because the song is bound to be a hit, which would inevitably cast a shadow on the others.

The boys finish up their duties, signing papers, receiving instructions, etc. It takes several hours, but they're free for the rest of the day, apparently. They choose to hang around and watch auditions/talk to other idols.

Now we're ready for couple interaction, let's get down to business.

Ren wanders around the agency alone. He bumps into an idol kid (wow, look, it's Nagi), but the brat himself doesn't seem to notice, and absent-mindedly tears through the crowd to reach his band-mates on the other side.

Now that Shining's explained a good part of the situation to them, he understands the underlining value of that song, and is glad of his decision to reject it. There's a huge amount of loyalty to his friends and their career together. He won't risk messing that up.

There seems to be magical elements behind the whole case too, and though he's extremely appreciative of the feelings that went into composing that sheet, it means that the song wouldn't belong to him nor Ryuuya any more than it belonged to the rest of the corporation too.

A message blasts over the intercom calling for Ryuuya to switch over to another auditorium. He's apparently a judge in this quickfire competition.

Ren wants to talk to him, to smooth things over, or to clear the air so to speak. Anything to get them together on the same wavelength again, as he still senses some awkwardness for them to get over.

He enters the elevator—which is jam packed, I tell you. Almost every floor button is lit up, that's how busy everyone is. He notices in the corner of the elevator a red-haired girl, whom he identifies as Haruka's roommate right away. Tomochika. She must also be there for the song.

As they all spill out of the elevator, Ren squeezes his way through a sea of people to the auditorium mentioned on the intercom. Tomochika Shibuya's right behind him, so he kindly holds the door out for her. She recognizes him, gives her thanks, and with a smile does a quick little wave (her bracelets jingle) as she descends the steps to wait in line behind the stage.

The smooth saxanova (pet me, I made a beautiful word) slowly descends the rows of theater seats until he finds a comfy spot right in back of the judges' panel, just below the stage.

He watches his boyfriend's back heave with every breath, and twist about as he confers with colleagues. Shoulder blades rotating as he stretches. The curve of his face as he turns to whisper some critique or praise that all but decides a band and artist's fate in the competition. Everything about him intensifies.

Ren's suddenly engulfed in a secure warmth, as if he can feel the heat coming off his skin. Or maybe it's just the way the elder's essence envelops him when they're near each other. The most familiar, reassuring scent embraces senses, like there's no shaking off this addiction, one that very much annoyed him in the beginning, one that philosophers like to classify as love. Is it really love? He asks himself time and time again, either growing more sure or more unsure each time, but never outright denying it.

Ryuuya turns around at some point to check out the opening and closing door, and his eyes land on the redheaded figure lounging around behind him. Their gazes meet, and he shares this incredible smile you wouldn't believe, because it's sorta dark in the auditorium, but it seems as if his teeth are glowing, and Ren knows it's the most genuine response unlikely to be given to anyone else that same day. It makes him smile back unconsciously.

Just like that, Ren's mind is fully appeased, and he knows everything's okay. They don't even need words, that's how much of a soul connection they demonstrate. Lazy over-comfortable Ren leans forward in his seat, watching the performances from behind him, and rests both arms over Ryuuya's shoulders as the older man continuously scratches down notes on his clipboard.

He's just a tiny bit surprised that Ryuuya lets him do this. Normally they have to act very professional together at work, but.. the agency is chaos today, so maybe it doesn't matter much this time.

Ren leaves Ryuuya in about an hour and a half, and meets up with the rest of the gang for lunch. Thank goodness for technology like cellphones, because they all just barely find each other among the crashing waves of people.

The agency's gonna be one huge mess when everyone leaves, that is for sure.

Haruka was meant to meet up with them. She has a knack for getting lost, but it's even more likely in this kind of situation, so yeah— she's lost.

The guys squish their way through the jumble of bodies, Masato and Natsuki saying "Pardon me" and "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorryyyy!" as they pass through.

Finally a very squished Syo spots Haruka being harassed by HEAVENS, and he skyrockets to her side like a cork flying off a bottle.

The rest of the crew catch up and give dirty stares to the rival band for bothering their precious princess.

Cecil especially starts chanting curses in his Agnalanguage like it's some equivalent of the evil eye.

Syo jumps in like the manly man he is, trying to be a hero, purposely picking a fight with Eiichi by poking him in the chest. But then..

S U D D E N L Y – there's a flash of light so bright, it devours the entire room in a blast of blinding brilliance.

Turns out Cecil's chanting in an ancient language acted as a catalyst and triggered the goddess Muse to awaken and possess Haruka's body. Cecil's people served the goddess for like eternity, so the language itself had been her relic.

She seems to have a reason for appearing, or otherwise wouldn't be so easily summoned. The glow around Haruka's body grows faint, but her eyes remain full of light. She locks into Ren's rather shocked gaze, but no one else seems to notice this.

Nagi freaks out and starts to cry, because he's a just a confused and overwhelmed kid. Eiichi laughs with that idiotic maniacal grin on his face, but Kira slowly backs away 'cause he knows there's no messing with something like that.

Eiichi Otori spouts something about 'it being true' before sprinting away with his mates.

Out of nowhere, a deep booming laughter echoes from above. The whole floor looks up in awe and horror.

Standing perfectly in the air with aerial ribbons twisted around his shoes is none other than Raging Otori. There's even a spotlight fixed on him for some reason.

But then a spotlight turns on somewhere else. DRAMATIC TURN OF HEADS.

There's Shining Saotome, also hanging from the ceiling from aerial silk, shouting a welcome at his arch nemesis (however he does a few weird acrobatic moves before settling down in the same position as Raging).

Raging and Shining have a very loud banter across the large room ranging in topics like the song in question for the competition, as well as the mystical island legend concerning the volcano, and the magical fortune it bestows on people every decade or so. Just casually revealing everything to the public.

See, Raging was always very interested in obtaining this power for himself and his business, therefore all of the elaborate scheming and revealing of secrets they just witnessed was necessary for his plan.

Ah, but Ryuuya hears about this commotion from upstairs through a range of shouting and the ringing string of instant video messaging. He runs down the stairs, half-worried. By the time he makes it to boys' general area, the Muse possessing Haruka changes her gaze in his direction, and the second their eyes make contact, the glowing completely disperses, making Haruka fall to the floor unconscious.

The boys make a commotion. Otoya and Cecil lend their laps to her for support, holding her hands, while Natsuki fans her face.

So Raging and Shining still go at it, laughing like they've conquered each other everytime it was their turn to speak.

Shining drops that the goddess only chooses one person most worthy for musical glory, but hints that he's only tried it one night out of the two weeks the volcano is active (every fourteen years, as it is)— he only knows as much as he's experienced, and can't know for sure.

But that inadvertently provides Raging the information he's seeking, and Shining knows it.

In response, Otori makes a grand exit by shouting how grateful he is, and then disappears in a cloud of smoke.

CLOSEUP: Saotome grows quiet, his eyebrows crease, and glasses glimmer.

Haruka's just fine. She takes like 5 minutes to wake up. Tokiya gives her a glass of water, and the boys watch her for a bit as she rests in a private lounge.

They walk her home soon after, buying ice cream on the way. Natsuki says the sugar is good for her anemia. The other guys facepalm, because really.


	3. Ren Eats a Balanced Breakfast

That very night, Ren bunks at Ryuuya's. I mean, after all, they've barely seen each other all week, so..

And when entering his apartment, he notices a vase on the table, and in it a single orange rose. Cue stomach fluttering. Ren asks if it's the same one from the office, but Ryuuya surprises him by saying it isn't.

::FLASHBACK::  
Muse snatches Ryuuya's gaze, then disperses from Haruka's body. He suddenly appears to be holding a flower. Pretty jolted in shock by it. Ryuuya doesn't remember going back to his office to pick it up. What a strange anomaly. Even hurries upstairs to check his desk. Completely intact. The orange rose is still there. Did he somehow pick up another..?  
::END FLASHBACK::

Ren, like Ryuuya, has about a million questions running through his mind about everything. Ryuuya, however, doesn't want to crack the code immediately. Actually, he has a huge headache after the day's events, and wants nothing more than to unwind and sink into deep sleep— and hey, he totally earns it for working himself all the way to that level of exhaustion.

Ren's different. He thrives a lot in the evening, his energy's still piqued. Though he too isn't much in the mood for anything after the day. He surrenders the incessant theories and questions for the more favourable quiet of occasional whispers.

Babyfaisu Ren snuggles up close to him under the comforter. Ryuuya pulls him in close, and calls him cute, to which he retaliates that, no— he's sexy. Then Ryuuya has to admit that—hell yeah, he's that too. This somewhat pleases the Ren, who remains quiet while his partner dozes off. Then he follows into slumber after an hour of blissfully watching Ryuuya's chest rise and fall.

It's the morning, and they sure as hell are both up for something, that's also a pun (ohyeah). But alright, they don't want to get messy or go into work being sore, so hands and tongues play the game. The two take things really slow and sleepy-eyed. A tangle of bodies under the messy bed sheets, with some laughter to accompany the welcoming rays of golden sun tickling their bare skin.

Watching Ren squirm beneath his fingers, making those delightful noises, would be the ideal way to wake up, like a gentle alarm clock ushering in a rush of warmth and tingly bliss. It would be ideal—but then he hits the back of his head against the headboard when Ren presses his lips too tight. It gets too overwhelming, so they make a break for food.

Comedian Ren says he'd like some toast and eggs to balance out breakfast, if you know what I mean.

Ren leaves off to do his own thing, so we follow Ryuuya around for a bit now. He's on a temporary break from the school. There are still auditions going on, you know. But something's off. Almost immediately after entering the main building, he gets paged by the secretary to meet with Shining in his private office.

Ryuuya enters Shining's office, and they immediately discuss the previous day's events.

According to his sources, HEAVENS is not the only spies on their case. There are many of them wandering around, sent by the rival companies, blending in with the crowd— able to make it past security check-points somehow. Learning about the event's special origins was always their goal.

Ryuuya is shocked to learn that the volcano legend is viral across the internet, consequently spiking the interest of many international music and idol industries. (All of this happened over night! Wow.)

Thankfully, many are skeptical about the whole thing, and the entire world isn't as open-minded or eccentric as Shining. He does all he can to suppress the media, but it's not helping much.

He has insight that mysterious boats and submarines are gathering off the coast of his private island. Shining believes people to have already infiltrated the island and located the volcano.

While Ryuuya watches in disbelief, the director begins commissioning a private police force to fly over and guard the area. He also starts calling a bunch of lawyers, which the latter helps to find the numbers for. (This is turning into an action film, brace yourself.)

When all is settled, Shining finally confronts him again, revealing that he knew all along Haruka Nanami to be the reincarnated embodiment of Muse. The boss explains that her trigger summon was caused by a certain something or someone— and goes on trying to explain his theory, relaying a bit of camera footage from the scene (on a tv in the wall, of course, because why not).

A little later on, the building is still drowning in people. Goodness. About a thousand auditions could very well be held that day.

Ryuuya and Ringo both meet at the judging table, this time in a standard room with white walls. The two teachers and about four other judges shuffle papers, jot things down, and observe while solitary idols present themselves.

But Ryuuya can't stop thinking about what Shining said earlier. The Goddess put Ren in a hypnosis? Or Ren put her in a trance? Some kind of connection was established. It was on the screen. He saw it clearly.

And then there was that rose. The second orange rose, mysteriously appearing in his hand after the Muse looked him straight in the eye for a flinch of a second.

Ryuuya looks miserably lost in his thoughts, so Ringo puts a hand on his arm to reassure and comfort him in some way. The pinkhaired idol doesn't know much about the circumstances, but their bond does give them the silent understanding they need.

Ryuuya takes a deep breath, flashes a let's-do-this smile, and gets back to work.

By the end of the day, around twenty seven solo artists and bands make it past the quickfire preliminaries, all in only two days of auditioning. Auditions still go on for another two days, but at a certain point they have to look seriously at the ones already making it through. Among them, Tomochika Shibuya.

Before leaving off work, he stops by his office again, or rather the cubicle in which his desk is placed.

Still there. The orange flower's still there. But the petals are darkening around the edges. He frowns. Probably beginning to die. He changes the water, dollops in some sugar, then puts it on a windowsill in the sunlight. Satisfied, he goes.

Let's check in with Ren. He had a modelling job in the early morning, followed by a commercial at noon.

The commercial was something Shining cancelled on him the week prior. An advertisement featuring a new shampoo line. The whole set waited for Ren to become available again. It was a process not so easy to delay.

To show his gratitude, he stuck around afterwards to help out. Mostly by handing around coffee to workers, and signing a few autographs here and there for their kids.

Many of the female employees grouped around him, praising his looks, and his performance in the commercial. Let's mention he had to be mostly nude and covered in water, so.

But right now, Rennyboy's struttin' down the street with a pair o' sunglasses on, hair tied up, and a hat to hide his basic appearance. It's too early for dinner, and it's rare that he's free, so why not stroll around, aye?

Haruka and Cecil come walking down towards him from the other side of the street.

She looks to be well, and after a full night's rest doesn't seem to remember a thing.

But Cecil's on high alert. He's worried those boys might come back to bother her again. Even has her arm looped with his. Well, it's all okay now. But Ren guesses the kid wants to look like a protective boyfriend.

Haru-chan's really cute, though. She hesitantly, but slowly, gently loops her other arm around Ren's too. And like that, they both walk down the street together, feet in pace.

Ren jokingly relates them to characters from the Wizard of Oz. Haruka's Dorothy, the country girl in a strange new land. And Cecil's totally the scarecrow!!

Understanding the implication, Haruka gasps, watching worriedly for his reaction. ?But? ?? all Cecil looks is confused.

Ren mutters under his breath that when they finally reach the great Oz, he hopes to find a little courage.

Cue the quick, funny, sunny music montage of Ren and Haru laughing at something in the distance, Cecil looking annoyed, Cecil trying to kiss Haruka, Cecil tripping and falling instead into a puddle, and then Ren and Haruka running away together in big smiles, as Cecil chases after them with a frantic face full of tears. ;;;(lmao)

All in all, it's a very normal day, y'know, without other situations to consider.

Ren invites Haruka and Cecil out to dinner, since they're together anyway, and have no plans, why not. A call to Ryuuya and they arrange the gathering of five, with Ringo included (he enthusiastically invites himself while overhearing Ryuuya on the phone).

The lot make reservations at quite a formal restaurant, but since they won't be seated until 7:30 pm, choose to go home and get ready.

Ren takes a limo, and picks up his buddies on the way there. Ryuuya drives with Ringo playing noisy passenger (he fills Ringo in with the basic details of the big situation). And they gather up at the designated meeting place (um, right in front of the restaurant).

Ren looks devilishly handsome in a grey waistcoat and an elbow-length cuffed shirt, a few buttons left purposely undone. (Imagine they all look prim and proper, but just casual enough for a formal dinner.)

When they sit down, the group immediately goes to work looking at the menu, because food is life.

Ryuuya has the orange rose and stuck in the front pocket of his jacket. Ren notices and can't help but wonder which one it is. He doesn't bother to point it out. It still gives him lingering guilt about the whole song rejection.

Thegroup makes small chit-chat. Then it's time to order food.

Food doesn't arrive after Cecil demands that culinary fare be more punctual for a prince. Food does, however, arrive when Ren says a few more-than-necessary things to the female waitresses.

Ryuuya doesn't respond to that, but warily drinks his wine, eyebrow twitching a bit.

More chit-chat. (A lot of chitchat from Ringo.)

Then Haruka does the thing. She points out the flower. "That's a very nice boutonniere, Hyuuga-sensei."

The actor kindly thanks her. He explains he only shortened it a bit to fit in his pocket, but that he wants to put it back in its vase later.

Ringo understands the rose's origins, having previously discussed in the car. Already briefed on the whole legend thing before Ryuuya told him, thanks to a thing called the internet. He finds it wonderfully mysterious. The whole ordeal is intriguing. Ringo wants to play the nosy detective.

Haruka asks if the flower's a token for having his song become such a highlight lately. Ah, she apologizes for already knowing, even though the information is meant to stay under wraps (until the right time, Shining says).

She actually found out from Tomochika, who, scarily, has many unique connections in the agency. After finding out she could abuse her position as one of the top contestants, easily milked the power for all it was worth.

To make matters simple, he just says yes.

Among the slowly turning conversation topics, Ren briefly mentions about been feeling a bit down during the day, or maybe unwell. Not a conventional kind of ailment, but a little clouded in the mind, just a tad numb. A not-good feeling. But he assures them, and Ryuuya especially, that his mood picked up again after meeting with Cecil and Haruka. Like it gave him the right spike of energy.

Ryuuya's reaction to Ren's story earns him concerned sideway glance, his mouth full of food— just as Ringo 'awwws' the poor baby redhead, and is reminded about this one dream in which he was turned into a woman, watching himself grow pregnant, and complete with baby pains. Utterly terrifying. But then he woke up, and it turned out to be appendicitis?! He goes on to complain about how the hospital staff barely recognized him without his wig.

Food is wonderful. Food is great. Yum food. Gosh, delicious. They eat, and eat some more. It's just about dessert time, and Cecil and Haruka's plates have already been taken away.

Ryuuya gets up, excuses himself (to the bathroom). A few minutes later, Ren puts down his utensils and excuses himself as well. Oohlala, what's this drama?

The men's room looks nice, smells nice, and is generally clean. That's how it should be in a high-end restaurant. There's no one there giving out fresh steamed towels though, the place is not that fancy.

Ryuuya's not even peeing. There's no one else there but them at the moment. He leans against a ledge by the windowsill. Ren gives him a playful salute, but Ryuuya looks a bit solemn? Perhaps thinking too deeply.

Let's discuss how Ren knew to follow him. It was back in the day when they usually ate out in groups together, Ryuuya would fold his napkin three times before excusing himself. They made a joke out of it in private, planning it out so that it was the signal for 'hey, let's go have a quickie in the bathroom, no one'll notice'.

Well, Ryuuya doesn't look like he wants anything special, so Ren's smart enough to gather they're there for a talk.

He diligently combs a hand through his hair, walking over to sit by him. But Ryuuya gets up just as the younger sits himself down, and walks over to one of the urinals. Yes—Yes, he's takin' a leak in front of his boyfriend, embrace it.

Ren hunches in defeat. Sometimes he thinks their relationship's gotten too comfortable. This would definitely be one of those times.

But at the sink, Ryuuya starts to speak.

Ren cuts him off—"I love it."

Referring to the song, he confesses that it captured his heart ,and his soul screamed at the opportunity to sing it. His favourite sensei's song. Even dedicated to him. But the special ties to his own composer isn't something he can easily disregard. And Ren knows that Ryuuya holds a similar vow.

Ryuuya completely understands the intentions of that topic. He has him understand this time, with a proper reply, that it's fine—but that if he preferred anyone to sing it, that Ren would always be his first choice. (Oooor maybe actually himself, hm, hm!)

Wet hands drip, and slip against the burning heat of Ren's neck and cheeks as he gets pushed back against the window, locked in a passionate kiss in, I dare say, the men's washroom. Waah— steamy.

The offguard teen laces slightly shaky fingers around the nape of Ryuuya's neck, building more force in his tongue to push him back— until suddenly the door swings open, and they swiftly break with a startle.

Ryuuya drags Ren past the stranger. A bit of slow-motion as the teen almost clumsily trips from being led out of there so fast—but fixates on the secure feeling coming from the hand wrapped around his. It colours his cheeks.

Dessert is awesome.

It's actually a western style restaurant, so there are a lot of classics, like Baked Alaska. And that's what Ryuuya orders for himself, along with a coffee.

Everyone watches in awe as the waiter rolls it out to them, and then with a blowtorch, SETS IT ON FIRE. That earns a round of applause from everyone, and Ringo briefly explains exactly what it is to the confused teens. (A thick meringue layer covering ice cream and a cake crust that's then set on fire to give it its baked look, just fyi—)

Ryuuya slips the guy a tip, and they all watch jealously as he opens that baby up. Awhyeah, and enjoys it too.

At least two people think it, but only one speaks up for it— begging for a bite, Ringo practically grows dog ears and a tail. A huff and a sigh as Ryuuya teasingly eats the ice cream cake in front of Ringo, who relentlessly whines in the background.

Ah, of course everyone else enjoys more simple desserts, like coffee and cake. Puddings, too!

Ringo pays the bill. I'm not even kidding. He gets up right during dessert, and pays at the front desk, just to annoy the heck out of Ryuuya, who always insists on taking care of it at such restaurants, never letting it pass to anyone else. Is it a thing of honour? How does your honour feel now, Ryuuya?! (Hint: he puffs up angrily when no bill comes.)

At the end of the night, Haruka feels a bit woozy. Cecil holds her hand, worried. She says it's fine, but describes it feeling a bit hollow, like a watching-her-life-from-the-outside kind of thing. But she soon brushes it off as simple fatigue!!

Ren's attention is especially piqued about it.

In any case, they all wish each other safe travels, goodnights, and part ways with a few waves in the dark car park.

Ren and the others watch the night life go by from the back of his personal limo.

Legs crossed, arms laid out, head resting back— he seems to be seriously pondering something..

Somewhere amidst the small casual observations and comments between the two, Ren inquires about Haruka's condition, personally wondering if it has anything to do with Muse awakening inside of her.

After the flashy incident at the agency, Cecil made sure that all of STARISH was well aware of her unique disposition (though she herself remains oblivious to it).

Haruka responds that it's nothing to worry about, that with a well-rested sleep, she'll be her uppity-cheery self, and ready to take on the whole lovely world again soon!!

Ren really hopes so. The two boys resign with sighs.

 


	4. The Island Situation

Third day of auditions! Ryuuya's a little more convinced now in the whole scheme of things. Well, with last night's confessions session, he feels more relaxed about everything.

The actor drops by his office real quick, looking around for some forms and things. The orange rose on the windowsill goes back to his desk. His mind occupied by work, he's not careful, and accidentally knocks the vase over, spilling the rose and its water all over the floor. Ah, shit.

He sends a few flying curses, and then hurries out to get a wad of paper towels. Ryuuya rushes back and dabs the floor dry, leaving the orange bloom atop the desk. Mental noting water. He tucks the plastic vase under one arm and stalks off again.

INTERCEPTED BY SHINING—in the hallway. He wants to call off the auditions. Fact of the matter is, he desires that song recorded and ready to air as soon as possibly possible. This is extremely important for a reason that only he's aware of.

So everyone has no choice but to comply. Other employees gather around. Shining gives the order to have everyone clear out the area of contestants. Then he orders his advertisers to get to work mass produce the idea that the winner was found—STAT.

He pulls Ryuuya to the side, and whispers close that he wants him to be on the final panel of judges eliminating twenty six of the twenty seven candidates. The actors' brows furrow. He nods solemnly. They all set out to work.

Ryuuya puts the vase down somewhere, JUST TEMPORARILY.

He needs a list of the final contestants from the secretary. Shining needs him to pick it up immediately and distribute copies to the rest of the judges.

Okay, so he forgot about the vase in the rush of crazy.

The building (both inside and out) is still littered with veteran/novice/amateurish bands and artists, and making them leave is no easy task. And, oh, a lot of them don't go without some sort of fuss or scene. Some resort to begging.

Of course he's not alone in his task. All the employees on site are ordered to help evacuate the building of expired competitors, and promote the 'idea' that someone is already chosen.

New flyers and posters are already being made in a flash, and hung up all over the building. It's all just busy, busy, busy.

He jumps straight into the judging line almost immediately, the chosen auditions called back fast— needing a more in-depth relay of their abilities, display of genres, skills, vocal ranges. They're given tests. It's just a harsh battle that no one was prepared in advance for. The winner of such quick witted advancements would surely be the most versatile –and their winner, of course.

Meanwhile, STARISH has an appointment at a theatre downtown, that is.. to rehearse choreography. It's right next to a gym too, so they have avid time to work out in the morning, then rest in the afternoon while memorizing lyrics and scripts. There's also ample time to take turns being fitted at an agency-endorsed tailor a block away. A really typical day in the lives of idols, no one is unused to it.

Night's fallen, but they continue working late to perfect a dance—it happens all the time. Haruka's there with them, as always. She's thriving, her smile driving them all, and as uppity and cheery as previously promised. This is genuine. Ren's really relieved, actually everyone is. They're all very happy that their princess is fine, 'specially after that scare at the agency...

Aside from Cecil, the boys haven't entirely gotten over it, but only Syo and Otoya ever get gutsy enough to ask curiously probing questions. (Of course, she's clueless.. the poor babe.)

When 11 PM hits, they call it quits and decide to go home. No one walks alone outside, downtown.. in the middle of the night. So they call for cabs as usual. And anyway, the taxi terminal's right next to the gym, just a street away.

On the way there, Ren grows increasingly aware of the fact that it's a beautiful and warm night. He's walking with friends, and yet.. he feels nothing. No joy or— no stir of the heart, no thought of his partner even crosses the mind. He cradles his head a bit, looking dully at the street lamps that pass them by. It.. bothers him somehow.

He tries forcing himself to think of Ryuuya, of Ryuuya's face, of his boyfriend's damn collection of the same exact ties, but nothing— nothing even stirs him up, he feels hollow. Strangely..hollow.

He can't gather any energy to fight it. Just trying makes him feel more down-trodden. So he gets mad at himself, as if feeling mad were an option, but he cannot even clench a fist or find a burst of anger.

Ren takes a cab home, alone, by himself, continuously becoming more engulfed in a strange swirl of nothingness.

Tuesday morning. The band does the choreography training in intervals, so.. it's a resting day. Only a couple things are scheduled. That is, a business lunch with some movie producers... then instrumental, and vocal practice. Ren's not motivated for either.

That deadened sensation he'd hoped to leave behind the night before, it still stuck. And it's gotten much worse. It feels like he's drowning inside his body.

The lunch goes by slow and dreary. He's barely aware of his surroundings when answering the producer's weary questions. It can't go on like this? Ren decides to cancel practice, trying to shake off the peculiar mood by making a certain house visit.

Of course Ryuuya isn't there, but rather busy deliberating the *real* winner of Shining's impromptu competition in some board meeting. He'd gotten the details filled in by text. What the headmaster's got going on in his mind is no doubt beyond any of them...

Luckily, Ren has a spare key to the apartment. It was given to him pretty recently. He casually drops in, eyes first to the orange bloom on the table ahead. It's in a perfect spot— away from the window, but bathed in a stray ray of sunlight. In a crystal bowl. The very colour seems more vibrant than when seen last, petals perky and healthy, softly furled in a bloom that rivals most freshly cut flowers.

Uh, he's kinda surprised at how diligently Ryuuya's taking care of this thing. Didn't he just wear it two nights ago? It should've been wilted at least. Ren casts it off as whatever, but he wonders about the other rose fixed on his desk at work. ..Does he taking care of it as lovingly?

Soft stares into space as he empties his pockets onto the table, Ren moves toward the kitchen area. Sitting at the dining table, he does nothing but try to breathe, to take in a gust of vitality— for the fact that he's chilling alone in his lover's house, or that everything smells like him, or that it's Ryuuya's chair he's sitting in (the one he uses like aaaall the time). But nothing.

Trying to think of him has gotten a little difficult lately, kind of dizzying, but not at all in a good way. So frustrating! But again, he doesn't have the energy to get appropriately worked up. Especially concerned now, the teen believes there must be something wrong.

Ren throws himself face down in what would be the forced dramatization of a panic, scrawling arms out to the edges of the table, trying grab some semblance of what's going on inside his mind.

Shining wants the board meeting members to have fresh opinions on the final choosing, so he at last shows off the titular composition to his assembly.

Now all of them know it's Ryuuya's creation. He receives praises and congratulations, but only bashfully accepts them.

One of the judges is a powerful man in the movie industry. He outright inquires if the song will someday be used in one of Ryuuya's movies— the actor kindly rejects that idea, but in truth, nearly every right to the score belongs to Saotome..

Despite that, Shining does actually care for Ryuuya's opinion, and would probably ask him about anything major, I think. But getting that song out there, and reaching the full potential of musical fortune— he'll gonna do everything to make that happen.

A piano gets rolled into the room, and Ryuuya's required to demonstrate a sample of the rhythms. Of course, he doesn't sing.. though Ringo eagerly offers to do that for him— Shining declines it for him. All the members then have a sufficient idea about what they need to find, so the judges get down to business, and by the end of the day.. well.

Everyone leaves, rubbing their stiff backs, and sleepy eyes too. Satisfied smiles plaster their faces, and some hopeful exclamations about how great it would be if that legend was actually true. A winner's been chosen!!

Ryuuya's back and bottom hurt after being in such an uncomfortable chair all day, ahah. Old man complaining here!! He's really surprised about the final decision, but somewhat glad. Relieved, even. He starts to have hope about his song being out there, just a little bit.

Ryuuya drops by the office to check on things (missed emails, faxed memos, etc). A few feet away from his area, eyes are drawn to something burgundy in colour, just laying there on his desk. Heart starts pounding a bit, like shit, is— is that...? ??

On closer inspection, he sees it is the flower, and yeah, it's mostly dead. Just remembering the whole fiasco now, what a facepalm-inducing feeling. He feels kinda bad because that's the present Ren specially picked out for his desk, a whimsical token of affection, but ah.. His heart kind of sinks, reminiscing that moment he first noticed it— it was pretty magical? Like naming the song "One Orange Rose" was sort of fate, if he could believe in a thing as destiny.

Ryuuya checks the last place he lay down the vase... It's not there. Maybe a janitor took it?

After walking back to the office, Ryuuya feels it might be the only option left. Twirling the rotting vegetation between his fingers, he looks on in sigh-filled pity as one foot presses down the little trash bin's pedal.

Truly pointless now, but his fingers don't intend to let it go. No reason to keep a dead flower. Well, maybe to preserve it in a book? Make it look like he did that on purpose. A classy move, somewhat poetic too. Almost thinks himself cool for a second. But—no, nevermind that, no hiding or lying. If asked, he'd just have to tell the truth... no choice about it. And how could it possibly revive without roots?

Still, an unrecognizable glimmer of hope sparks within. Irrational expectation makes him reconsider. Gently, ever so gently, he places the wilted rose back down on the desk, and walks out in search of a glass. Any ordinary cup of water would do.

There. Fixed upon the windowsill again, though no sunshine streams through. (It's the late evening.) He feeds it a bit of sweetener, because flowers have quite the sugar preference. Ryuuya's still not sure what there is to accomplish, but..

He writes up a sticky note, asking the janitors to leave it untouched. Though curiously, he wonders why no one picked it up the night before.

Finally, he walks away, shrugging like nothing happened, no big deal. Of course, with a finger twisting in his ear, he's only feigning the carefreeness. Jeez.. why get so worked up over a plant?

Ryuuya figures he can leave then. He'd sent about three texts to Ren before, but sees no response yet. He leaves the building, and welcomes the brisk night air to fill the creases of his tired face. The sky is absolutely clear, a darkening slate blue without a blemish of clouds. Moon comin' up just overhead.

Suddenly, Shining Saotome pops out of the shadows, toothpick in mouth. He motions for Ryuuya to follow him, and they descend the parking lot.

He wants to update him on the island situation.

They managed to keep back every hungry outsider from tearing the place up, yeah, all except for Raging. He's untouchable, Shining says. The law won't apply to him. He can be considered his equal in every way. And everyone knows Shining's a powerful man that gets in, and around, and escapes all binds with ease. So Raging Otori's the most mighty adversary he'll ever face.

Saotome admits, naturally, that were Otori to inquire an invitation to, or shelter on the island, that he would be much obliged to accept him. As a guest of honour, even. With full permission to do as he pleases. But the other seems to lack those intentions, and that's why the director won't allow it.

Unknown to anyone before, Shining shares with Ryuuya that the volcanic activity will only continue on the island for approximately five more days. On the fifth and final day, the lava will eventually overflow and harden as it reaches the base.

The rival boss hasn't made any more moves than to send in his own spies among the covert police guard. Reason being for ensuring that no more competition arrive on the island. But the secret word's that Raging intends to make a personal appearance on the fifth day (which Otori believes is truly the second-to-last day).

When Ryuuya asks if Raging Otori has a real chance of winning the goddess' favour, Shining flicks his sunglasses (streetlight bouncing off it) and responds with about twenty flashy no's in varied languages. (Let's take a moment to remember why Shining beat Raging's record that many decades ago).

The headmaster slips Ryuuya an envelope.

“? ? ??? ??” Question marks bubble up over Ryuuya's head.

Yeah, he explains that it's the final edited and revised version of the song. Wow, the wide-eyed and honest curiosity that Ryuuya shows while holding up the envelope is kinda cute.

Shining mentions that Tomochika Shibuya's already been faxed her copy, and that she's scheduled to record it in 3 days time.

::FLASHBACK::  
In the board meeting, the final decision almost rests on a spectacular novice male singer...

Ryuuya counters this idea by presenting that most company sales rely on, and are made by young women. Despite the male singer being a hunk, he firmly believes that Tomochika would be more relatable to their target audience. He likes the idea of building a rolemodel, rather than selling more eye-candy—and they've got plenty of that already. (His mind's on Ren.)

So fronting more deserving and phenomenal talent—he promotes the girl instead. And when Ringo raises his hand in compliance (a vote), the rest follow up after some hesitation, and then it becomes unanimous.

A crazy laughter echoes. In the corner of the room, with arms crossed, Shining cracks a very pleased smile. "Interesting, very interesting."  
::END FLASHBACK::

To rush the recording of his song, well, it makes Ryuuya question his boss' motives.

Saotome merely replies that the song used fourteen years ago was also released before the end of the ceremony. He simply doesn't want to risk it since the magic may only apply within that timeframe. After all, he's never waited it out before. Was never the patient type.

Ryuuya gives a solid but thoughtful, "Hmmm.."

Shining bids him a hearty farewell, deep laughter booming in the night, as a limo stops short to pick him up and roll him away.

It's a few more minutes before Ryuuya realizes they've walked three blocks away from the parking lot. Where his car is parked. Sigh. NOT AGAIN—He frantically jogs back.

 


	5. Being Babysat by Senpai

Entering the apartment, Ryuuya just begins to unwind the moment he notices the the orange rose. How it glows in the moonlight. So magnificent. Its existence is still a mystery.

There's a little struggle in the darkness as he takes off his shoes. Ryuuya turns on the hallway lights. Ah—? Blink...blink.. suddenly a smile. A little further way, Ren's shoes. Eyes back on the table, there's his things. An unusual surprise. A very nice surprise.

He checks the bedroom. Not there. He scratches his head while moving to the bathroom, but the light's not on. A second more observational glance than the first supports that he isn't in the living room either. A real wonder spreads as he steps into the kitchen. And then Ryuuya's pleasantly surprised (as predicted).

There he is, hair a mess, asleep on the table. Even drooling. Ryuuya wants to laugh, but won't dare to wake up the sleeping beauty.

He softly eases him out of the chair.. then— almost— almost— almost BREAKS HIS BACK trying to pick up the teen bridal style. That only works for a few seconds before his feet hit the floor.

NEW PLAN. A newly half awakened Ren gets led slowly to the bedroom, sleepy head lolling around, his arm hooked around the actor's neck for support.

Ryuuya furtively tucks him in on the queen-sized like a little kiddie. Then he leaves to take a shower.

Ren, however, curls up on his side. He gazes into the abysmal darkness, leaking hot streams of silent tears.

Morning pours in through the curtain's cracks. The first 'bzzt~~!' is immediately silenced to let Ren stay asleep.

Ryuuya stretches a bit before sitting up. Rubs his eyes. Looks over to the princess. (Cough) Sleepy Ren's eyes are red. ..Hm? He finds that especially peculiar, then breathes out heavily. A moment to gather all his awareness.

The actor bends over to tenderly kiss his cheek before tip-toeing out of the room. He needs a thing. Ah, If only coffee could make itself. Well.. then it would make itself, and how great would that be?

While making breakfast, the older lover tries to reminisce the outline of his teaching schedule. What with the impromptu vacation and all, a sub had to be called in. Then another sub, to replace that sub when he received orders to choose the next hit artist for a multi-billion dollar (idk, gazillion yen) company.

So he's going back in today, but not so early, not yet. Ren, however, he suspects should be out before him. Therefore.. a bit of a hearty breakfast may be the most comfortable way to start a busy idol's day.

He wakes him up in a little.

Disoriented, that's Ren. And off to a shower, I think for a good start. The redhead confirms to himself that something really is ...off. His chest a bit heavy, like a weight's permanently on there, or that it— that part of his rib cage is trying to cave in. A disturbing heaviness. But also somewhat numb, like inside that cage a heart stopped beating. A heart that he needs to feel things intensely again. He finally notices.

(Did I mention that Ren's got a few spare clothes lying around Ryuuya's closet?)

After breakfast, on his way out the door, Ren is caugh by the hubby taurus (kill me, I'm forever laughing). Ryuuya tries to kiss him goodbye, but within an inch their lips almost touch, Ren pulls away.

He gives the excuse that he's gonna be late, and closes the door behind him. "Goodbye."

As his shoes hit the road pavement, a few fingers fly shakily to his lips. It's harder than usual to change expression, but he forces an uneasy face. Because something's clearly wrong.

The magnetic pull toward Ryuuya's lips. The tingles in his stomach. The erratic beat of his heart. They were— they weren't there.

Could someone fall out of love so easily? Was it ever truly love at all? He used to be so sure, or only slightly unsure at times, but now, here, the emptiness screams, and it's as clear as day. And he hates it. It feels wrong. Too sudden. Unfair. He was honestly happy before. It's the truth. He was happy... but then.. and then this.

Ren refuses to leave it like that. The internal struggle's alive, but he refuses to leave it. The teen trudges on.

Ryuuya finishes washing the dishes. An envelope on the kitchen counter catches his attention. He twists it around, tugs it closer, and picks it up. Uh. Oh, that's right. Ryuuya forgot to mention that to him..

He'd already told Ren about Tomichika during breakfast. The teen's surprised look made his cheeks simmer.

Her face must already be plastered up all over the walls of the building (and maybe parts of the city too) (what, already? yeah, the agency moves ridiculously fast.)

Ryuuya rips the side of the envelope open. He spills the sheets out into a waiting hand.

"Hmmm." He seems unsure, a curled hand brought up toward his bottom lip. The added lyrics are good, the music more fine than before. But somehow.. it's lost a certain feeling. A necessary touch, whatever it's supposed to be.

Ryuuya never has Ren's weekly schedules memorized, but he supposedly knows whenever there's a sudden a day off.

And that was not to be the case for today, but something happened. And by that, I mean whatever was planned had called the agency last-minute to reschedule themselves ahead. So Thursday, supposedly, was his random day off, but he assumes now that's not the case anymore. Which means Ren's a free man. What to do..?

Well for starters, maybe address, and then try to reverse the feelings that led to his morning crisis.

He needs a place to marinate in his own thoughts. Some place dark. Secluded. Maybe a poetry club. ...But it's too early in the day for a jazz bar to be open. Maybe any regular pub will do. But even when closed that time of day, one of them's always open to him, and for a good reason. Ren thinks he'll find a certain someone there, but he calls to make sure.

After hanging up, Ren looks up at the sky. The day is so bright, and he's surrounded by light, but none of its brilliance can touch him. He sighs heavily.

"Don't let anyone know I let you in here. Not takin' responsibility for you. I'm not yer' babysitter." Wow, what a caring senpai.

Ren gives him his signature look: a caramelized smile; deep, sweet, lazy, and charming. But it stills lacks some sincerity.

He casually invites himself in, careful not to leave out a stretched-out 'Ran-chan' in his gratitude.

Deep down town, there's an underground bar. It's dark, cool, smells strongly of smoke and drink. It has a nice echo.

Ranmaru goes there often, maybe too often. Drinking, thinking, relaxing. Even playing— his old band did gigs there, back before they broke up. But even after the whole ordeal, he still returns time and time again.

The owner's a nice gentlemen, he welcomes Ranmaru in every time, at any hour of the day. Sometimes before opening. And he doesn't mind him being the last to leave, either.

But now that Ranran's a bigger star, he's had less time to go off on his own. It's a few years since his stardom rocketed. And the owner's got his full trust and support in the rocker. Even thinks of him somewhat like a son.

The bassist has an extra pair of keys to the place, to use whenever he wants. And it's his favourite place to chill, tune his instruments, and practice. The atmosphere's got it all for him.

So Ranran's pretty cool about this. He doesn't poke Ren for any immediate answers about the sudden visit, but gives him a few sideways glances here and there, just waiting. Patiently. While strumming his bass.

Ren, meanwhile, takes a seat at the bar. He wonders briefly if he can get away with a few drinks (leaving cash and all), but the sudden reminder of needing a full focus hits him like a ton of bricks.

Ah, that's right.. it scares him how fast he forgets about the dilemma, like its importance diminishes with every passing minute. Deteriorating. Against his will. Like his feelings..

Jinguji starts the conversation first, a necessary move, relating that he's always found it funny for them to both have been tutored under the same figure.

Ah— this perks Ranmaru's genuine interest, his face lighting up a tad. The rocker smirks, making a joke out of it. "Right? Some gentle tyrant."

Ren forces a chuckle. "Ran-chan, I ~hardly~ think that's appropriate." Sometimes humour's the best mask. Joking about Ryuuya and sexuality doesn't feel as exciting as it should, and he frowns for that.

Ranran looks puzzled.

If you don't get it, he's calling Ryuuya a gentle tyrant in the bedroom, though Ranran meant it for his attitude as a teacher.

Ranmaru and Ren spend the morning in separate solitude, each to their own. That is, until the early double-digit hours move in, and Ren wonders how much better he could have used the time for sax practice instead.

Ren wobbles on the bar stool a bit, taking in the full size of the place. It's like an underground cave. Too cool.

There he goes again, Ranmaru tugging on the strings of that bass. He really loves it, hm?

Ren gets up and stands 'side him, tilting over to the side, red hair falling. He tries to see the appeal of the bass. He certainly does see it.

Ran doesn't mind Ren accompanying him out in the afternoon as well. He still doesn't question it, so long as he helps around with some stuff.

Ran just doesn't have time for a pair o' sunglasses and a hat, but the carrottop disguises himself (just in case).

Ranmaru needs his help unloading a couple trucks full of boxes. He bought an apartment nearby, you see. He really wanted some place closer to all his favourite hotspots.

When asked about having the moving guys do it for him, he responds quick with, "It's not worth the extra cost!!"

When that's over-with, they take three metro buses to an amusement park on the other side of the city. Let's not skip out the fact that everyone easily deduces Ren's identity from being near the undisguised rocker. They have to take a second bus on purpose— to derail a bunch of stalking fans. Otherwise that, Ranmaru is pretty much left alone, 'cause he's notoriously grouchy even to even strangers.

SURPRISE!! They're there to pick up Reiji. He sometimes volunteers at the amusement park.

A brown squirrel mascot walks up to them, holding a bunch of red balloons. He gives one to each of them.

Ren blinks, and blushes awkwardly from being treated so attentively, like a child.

Ranmaru scowls, unimpressed. He lets go of the balloon, it flies away.

"Eeeeeh?! That's not nice, Ranran! Look, Ren-chan's behaving himself, why can't you?" Reiji's muffled voice gives Ren a little shock.

The mascot takes off his head. "Eheh~" There's the big smiley face of a clown idol.

Reiji gets filled in on Ren's little tag-along adventure as he signs off from the volunteer job. And while returning the costume, has to run away from the screaming girls just as they leave the main premises.

Reiji holds holds his hat down in disappointment. Believe me, he wants to go back— TRIES to go back and play with them, but Ranran won't let him.

Back in the parking lot, the eldest idol excitedly pats the back of his green trunk. He nods a lot in their direction, wearing that goofy smile, poorly stifling some exhilarated noises.

Ranmaru explains to Ren that they're keeping a bunch of band equipment safe in there—and they were very safe, being specially parked in a VIP section of the park.

Ren acts a little humble, feeling a quiet moment of gratitude. He's still surprised they went so far today, with him doing nothing but watch. And the adventure's still not over yet? Now they want take him to their final destination..which would be? (Seems like Ranmaru's finally warmed up to the idea of him hangin' around.)

 


	6. Sparkly Fedoras Are Dangerous

The three drive back downtown again, to a majorly posh part of the district.

When the sun goes down, the place flashes brightly with a whole array of colours and shining signs. Booms of people crowd in and around the area. It's the true life of the night. Restaurants stay open til the early morning. Dance clubs blast beats until the crack of dawn. And everything is unfairly over-priced. Buuuut we're getting ahead of ourselves— for our boys, it's still the early evening.

They get really comfortable in a nightclub called 12:34. (Wow, so hip, so rad. That's the name of an actual nightclub around here.) Of course, since it's daytime, not many people are around. The venue has a pretty peaceful aura about it.

After a stressful few days, Ren's finally enjoying himself, busying his mind up with physical tasks that require an extra amount of effort. He decides they're pretty cool, Reiji and Ranmaru. Together, the boys unload band equipment from the back of Reiji's car, and with the help of some staff, set it up on the stage with the rest of the club's backline.

A popular radio station broadcasts live events like these from the nightclub. They have guest celebrities every once in a while. The pair's done this before several times, and all but once with their title band (Quartet Night). Ranran says there's nothing left for Ren to do, and has him sit it out for a bit of the process. Mic checks, last-minute tuning, light technician inspections, the works are done. Professional musicians hired by the club for the background audio come in to make some of their own tests.

"Touch her the wrong way and I'llkillyou." Thanks, Ranmaru. Ren, in a seat overlooking the stage, gets the most important task of all. That is, keeping a good hand and eye on the Queen of Ran's heart, his bass guitar.

Now.. Ren really does have an interest in the bass, it just isn't as strong as his passion for the sax, nor the extended fascination with some other instruments.

A few paces away, Reiji cheers him on to try it out. Well. Now that he's got some sort of permission...

The entire hall is entranced when Ren gently pulls on the strings to form a trippy melody.

Ranmaru gives a few wary looks every now and then, but seems to be comfortable with it for the most part, while his junior continues to test the waters.

The work is completed, and senpai 1 and senpai 2 hop off stage to invite Ren out for a bite.

Across the street is a sandwich place. The group fills up on subs and soda.

He checks his phone. No missed texts, no calls. It's strange.. He feels weird about his relationship now, but the lack of special attention is still slightly upsetting.

Ranmaru cuts through his thoughts with a question...about his ability with the bass. Reiji's interested too. Ren explains that he's formidable with the guitar, but that otherwise, there's not much experience to boast.

At the end of the meal, Reiji excitedly and full-heartedly suggests Rthat en play with them on stage later on for the live concert broadcast. Ranmaru surprises everyone by agreeing (a quiet response through his straw-sipping).

Ren slowly leans back in his seat, giving a few solemn nods, like yeah, why not. Let's do this.

There's a trailer outback, behind the club. Reiji and Ranmaru have it reserved there for themselves, but there's enough room and changes of clothes to spare.

At a back office in the club, Ren signs a few papers, while Ranmaru's mere presence pressures the owner to consent. They have to make the change in the program permissible—

A makeup artist at the scene works on each of them for a while. The plan is to emulate Ranmaru's signature style. Punk/pop rock, and heavy makeup. Ren and Reiji look like absolutely different humans with their eyes done up intricately in thick black lines. Fake piercings glued on, hair done up, bottoms ripped up, and pieces heavily coated in glitter—

“Waaaah!!” Reiji runs around, worried the sparkles on his hat will end up in is eyes.

The plan is to have Ren blast a bass during some of their songs, duet with Ranmaru once (he's willing to split up Bright Road), get a few lines in Rise Again, and have an improvised acoustic solo in the middle of the stage (during A Devil's Kiss is More Intense than Flames). Honestly, that's really generous, so I think Ranran might be a little proud of being his senpai.

The group has a chance to dress rehearse their new cues at least once.

Then club goers start pouring into the venue.

Ren's planned to be introduced as a secret celebrity guest.

He checks his phone again. [Nothing new.] Ren sends Ryuuya a text about his whereabouts at last, detailing a few things about the day, and then asks him to listen to [the radio channel]'s broadcast for a surprise. "..."

NIGHT'S FINALLY FALLEN. The club is bouncing with sweaty, glittery strangers in revolving lights and streams of colourful rays. The hour is almost upon them.

The redhead (blond?) looks out in nervous anticipation from behind the curtain. A quick glance behind him, backstage— Ranmaru's running a fast chat with the MC. The teen contemplates going for a drink before they start it up, but there's still the matter of his identity to keep concealed. A little sigh.

A little later into the night, the broadcast's already begun, leading up to the final event (their concert, of course)!! The clock ticks past midnight.

Ren checks his phone for the twentieth time. For feeling like an alien in the morning, he sure warmed up back to his humanity rather quickly. To think of the way he reacted then.. was he being dramatic? Over-dramatic? The redhead almost musses up his hair in frustration before freezing up— oh, that's right. His hair's done up, that would've been a bitch to fix.

Thinking about his partner's face was not so difficult to do anymore. Feelings still unclear however. Was it really an issue of space? Just making elbow room?

Eyes unknowingly wander around the room— to a moving glass. A glass filled with sparkling booze. It gets closer. ..'n closer.

He breaks from the daze, and a sparkly Reiji's smile closes the distance. "Here!"

Ren takes the glass, gives a tiny nod of thanks. He just stares into the drink.

"Just think of it as a magic potion~! When you take this, you'll feel much more relaxed!"

Ren just nods again, wondering how it is that Reiji could read minds.

Ranmaru gathers Reiji up on stage at the moment of presentation, with Ren still peeking at them from behind the curtain. He sets down the empty cup someplace, waiting for his cue.

The MC echoes loudly over the crowd, broadcasting general observances of the party, some sponsors, and the coming entertainment. Pop song remixes blast throughout the hall, a sea of swimmers jumping in and out to the beat. Somewhere, all of this is fed through the radio and into the cars and homes of thousands of listeners.

Would he be listening..? In the car? At the apartment? Mobile shows his sent texts as read, yet still no reply. (Goshdamnit, Ryuuya.)

The master of ceremonies introduces them. "...QUARTET NIGHT'S RANMARU KUROSAKI AND REIJI KOTOBUKI." The massive floor of people go wild.

Ranmaru starts playing at once, belting out an amazing guitar solo that drives the throng of fans into an immediate frenzy.

Reiji doesn't help to calm them down with his contagious zeal. "How is everyone doing tonight~?!!"

Right through their welcome speech, the two begin a song. The backline starts up their magic too, picking up the tempo.

Ren's instruction is to jump in at a certain point to surprise everyone.

But something catches his eye, a figure moving through the crowd nearby. Lighting makes all the colours distorted, but he swears by Cupid it was him.

Ren moves to the other side of the curtains, peeking through again for a better look. A security guard warns him against revealing himself. Figuring that's for the best, he goes back into position. "..." Ren thinks to himself that there's no way. No way, absolutely no way. That's too spontaneous, even for him.

Ren straps the bass around himself. A helper ensures that it's secure. (Not Ranmaru's—FFFF, of course not.) The signal to jump on stage comes in.. 10 ... 9.. 8 ..7 ... 6 .. 5 ... [..]

Ren walks onto the center-left stage. The crowd is punched out of their right minds, and shrill screams erupt like a volcano, excited noises out-rivaling the reaction to his senpais.

The STARISH idol gives a loose wave, exploiting his laidback nature for more fan appeal. He blows a kiss for added effect, earning yet another wave of shrieks and shouts.

The band still plays diligently, but Ranmaru a little annoyed that the screams drown out his music.

The teen jumps into the rhythm, playing as soon as he can catch up with the chorus. A hella lot of lights flash, bouncing off the shiny sequins of their stage outfits. They're a sight to behold, twinkling in the limelight, a gleaming sweat building up, the glint in their eyes alive.

"Aaah!! Ranran! Makeup! Melting! In my eeeeyes!" An occasional shout or two between the 'comedy duo' sets up the scene theatrically.

"Idiot! That stuff's waterproof!"

At some point, the MC introduces Ren as "the brilliant orange prince from STARISH!" The rage on stage goes on.

""IF I WAS YOUR LOVAA—"" Ren and Ranmaru share the microphone for some time. The duet goes as planned, though his instrument had to be taken away—or else be in the way. He'll get another one later on, for the solo performance.

Later on, after a few guest lines in Rise Again, Ren sprints to the side to retrieve an acoustic guitar.

A curious eye wanders out into the crowd, probing the prismatic formation of colours. If he really is there, there's no way to be sure. He flips the hair off his sticky neck. It's really hot up there.

A small stool's swiftly brought out to the center, and the dancers quiet down for a simple version of his single, A Devil's Kiss Is More Intense Than Flames. Ren's fingers are surprisingly rhythmic for a pattern he's not too familiar with. Playing pretty well, and knowing how to do that song of all things.. is another example of his dumb luck. But the simple nature of a slowed acoustic render makes room for him to think more steadily. The swarm's cooled off at last, his voice crystal clear to the thousands'. The kind of effect he has on them, well, it's mesmerizing.

But the effect on himself is also self-hypnotizing. Already, Ren feels foolish for thinking he could ever fall out of love. His voice takes on a breezy quality, completely opposite from the smoldering, hot passion, the sickly sweet spice that's usually present in his performances. Something might've sizzled out, he still feels that, but the bond they share can't so easily be broken. He won't let it be.

"I can't ever let this go! I want to hold you, dear~ And this powerful dream close.. Love’s flame shall continue to flicker."

Afterall, Ryuuya didn't just break the chains of his heart, he also earned the key. And it was a wondrous turn of fate, still is.

"You, whom I came upon by chance.. it's only you who has always, always been bringing me endless happiness, for all time~"

Ren's part concludes the live broadcast, and the rest of the band open for encores. The DJ blasts up his music in the meantime, and the MC wraps up his radio show.

The guys shuffle offstage, and into the dark expanse of this amazing area called backstage. The lack of lighting helps them to cool off, 'cause gosh, they're dripping. All the crowd's body-heat, mixed with the burning lights, hit them like a heatwave.

Ren earns a congratulatory slap on the back from his very nice buddy Ranran (it hurts), and Reiji gives him a high five (which he's happy to reciprocate).

A tray of water bottles come by, and each of them grab one. Reiji chugs his down so fast he chokes, and falls on all fours, dramatically extending a quivering arm— begging for Ranmaru to help him. Ranran just rests a foot on his back and continues to drink, totally unphased.

The dressed-up carrot-top makes his way to a private restroom. He takes in his full appearance; hot flushed face, sticky tan skin, loose orange hair, slightly smudged eyes (Ranran is a liar), lashes long and clumped together. Even his cheekbones, accentuated in some kind of makeup— blush? He uses his sturdy fingers try to fix up his 'do, the pins tryin' to fall out. Cyan-hued eyes are more brilliantly prominent than ever. Deep breath, deep breath. Okay. He decides to get back out there. But first a paper towel to blot the slick sides of his neck.... and chest, aaand that's it— he's off.

Ren dashes through the crowd, no end in sight to the boldness, and definitely no idea of what he's doing. Some individuals recognize him and make a whole fuss, but there's no time to react. He absentmindedly throws "Yo!" and some friendly salutes to whoever tries vying for him. All he sees is an unspecified destination, an invisible course toward the back of the crowd. He's led through it on pure instinct. The mass of bodies are overwhelming, but Ren doesn't stop anywhere. Some people crash into him, but he's not deterred. All he knows is that at the end of the end of the hall is either his determination to stay, or resignation to leave. There's no rational explanation as to why there, and not anywhere else. A rush of adrenaline fills his senses. The crowd dissipates the further he goes. The idol stops short at a bar, larger than the one behind him at the center.

This is it, the end of the tunnel, the exit not even forty paces away. Ren's breathes heavily, his head a bit heavy. His heart's pounding, but only through exhaustion. Wistful eyes lock onto the back of a figure, tall, lean, well- built, wearing something dark and pinstripe.. The back of that head is undeniable. Something moves in his chest for the split of a second. ( ! ) ..It doesn't go unnoticed.

The person slowly rotates around, drink in hand, but their gaze is lost elsewhere.

On Ren's lips, an automatic smile.. and instant relief.

When Ryuuya finally notices his presence, he greets the dumbfounded teen with a sheepish grin, and an awkward laugh barely audible over the noise. He's wearing glasses. Ren thinks it suits him.

The movie star rubs the back of his head, offering Ren a sip from his cup. The younger obliges, letting Ryuuya hold it up as he swallows back a gulp. It's too strong, so he makes a less-than-pleased-but-I'm-trying-to-look-mature face. And in response, Ryuuya gives him the I-knew-it-was-too-strong-for-you-I-just-wanted-to-see-your-face look.

He compliments Ren on his makeup right away, saying that the style works for him. But Ren has a more important question to ask, so the older man finally explains that, after receiving texts about listening to the radio for a 'surprise', that the 'surprise' was subsequently spoiled...with bigmouth Reiji to thank. And then, so you know, he invited himself. To make it his own 'surprise'. In fact, he had planned to reveal himself soon, but.. got found first.

Ryuuya leans in for a kiss, for lack of some the day before. Ren doesn't pull back this time. It's still not the way he wants their kiss to be. It lacks passion... But this one's warm, assuring. Comfortable. But short.

A few passing women ogle at them. Ren blushes. Not embarrassed, but.. For a long time, not anymore— but..

No one outside of their circle of friends really knows of the relationship, anyway. Well, they suspect low-key rumours, but don't want to confirm anything. That kiss just before..somewhat of a slip-up. But they've had plenty of public accidents that never really garnered much attention. 'Specially in a setting like this half-shaken club— no stories come out too believable. (They often laugh about the day the rest of the world would incidentally find out, 'cause they have no intentions of being straightforward, at least, for the sake of Ren's career. It's a joke, ahah, none of them are being straight.)

Ryuuya's kind of in the mood to dance. The lame old man trying to be hip, trying to stir up a mood, it's hilarious. (He's actually pretty good, he'd blow anyone out of the water.) But he only proposes to dance if Ren wants to— that's as far as his adventurous feeling goes tonight. However, Ren's got other ideas, he's pretty tired. Really tired.

Ryuuya offers to take him home (Ren's home, though), and they do go, but not before a quick visit/chat with the actor's favourite little shits still backstage. They are honestly elated to see him, and he congratulates them on their superb performance (as always).

The car ride back is quiet at first. Ren pushes back passenger seat. Occasional words here and there. The radio's volume is very low, but Ren turns it off anyway. The club really pumped a lot of noise into his head... what a blaring headache. He's sensitive to every little sound.

But even so, Ryuuya begins raving fanatically about the whole event, about his solo performance, and especially the part when Ren sings a bit of Rise Again. And he reminds him again— that those are his lyrics, as if he'd ever forget such a repeatedly mentioned fact.

When Ryuuya gets into one of his passionate rants, Ren fully enjoys them, revels with him, finds it endearing, but tonight.. he really can't feel much aside from the headache. He wants quiet. And that's exactly what he gets when Ryuuya catches him feigning sleep.

Halfway through the ride, Ryuuya speaks up again. Softly though. "Tomochika Shibuya is singing it."

A barely audible, sleepy whisper comes from the passenger's side. "You told me this morning.”

“Ahh..right, that's right.”

“She deserves it." But all he sees in his mind is a happy Haruka, smiling for her friend. 

 


	7. Flower Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a slight Hataraku Maou-sama! crossover in this chapter.

Ren wakes up reeeally early in the morning for the job that was postponed. (What is it? It's some obscure thing, because I can't be bothered.) He's dead tired, but hey, at least the headache's gone.

Even after two showers, and a bit of makeup remover, a thin black line remains stained across at the rim of his eyelids. But left-over eyeliner still looks pretty on him. Very pretty.

The air takes on a crisp and cool quality, awakening all his senses the second he rushes out the door.

Ryuuya's got more teaching to do. He's very behind on the curriculum for being gone almost two weeks.

He's worried about Ren, really. He was a bit unsure before— but is now definitely aware there's an issue. Whatever it may be.

He sensed the difference for quite some time, but way too prominently the night before. He wants to ask now.. but Ryuuya prefers to address serious matters in person. Easier to read reactions that way. And each time the two had met up before (between or after work), Ren was either asleep or half asleep. So Ryuuya intends to find out today.

He arranges for them both to meet up. He calls him first off, voice to voice. None of that impersonal texting business, nuh-uh. They gather at the agency around noon. There's no resistance to it. Plans are to have lunch together, but first Ryuuya needs to drop by the office for a minute. Check on some things, you know. Ren waits for him while this happens, leaning in the doorway, lookin' suave and laidback.

—Ah ? Squinty, suspicious eyes. "Hm." Ren notices the orange rose on his windowsill, lookin' a little dead and decrepid. And the nice vase is missing too, replaced by an ordinary drinking cup. A bit of turmoil stirs up in his tummy, uneasiness abound.

He turns away, walking back. That's somewhat of a good sign, right? Feeling like shit is at least feeling something. And the night before, that resolution, the incidental flutter in his chest. The importance of those things could not be undermined.. If this is all just a temporary thing, well then maybe he's on his way..

Meanwhile, Ryuuya notices some significant improvement in the rose. Nearly dead before, but miraculously changing. Strange occurence for a small, delicate, replaceable flower. Plants cut off from their roots don't stand a chance for long, yet this one here defies all odds by coming back to life. It's astonishing, he has to admit. And admire. It makes him somewhat relieved for the off-beat decision of letting it live, for not throwing it away. It's kind of a precious moment. He puts the cup back on his desk before leaving, scribbling down another note, for a janitor to replace the evaporated water. He hasn't got the time now.

They pass a few great places in his car— but Ren keeps up the playful string of replies, "I don't think so," or "Keep it moving," at every potential food joint, that is.. until they reach the final point. The GUILTY pleasure.

They enter MgRonalds, rejoicing like kids. Not so often do they get to eat such crappy foods and not care about it (their best shape being a priority for work). No, they absolutely do not go in there without makeshift disguises. For Ryuuya, that's just a pair of sunglasses. Ren has a little more— fake glasses, a bandana too. He's too recognizable without them.

Ren pays for their meals because he's gentlemanly, and manly, and gentle like that (also Ryuuya said that he's buying stuff for their dinner, so that's fair). The teen uses straight up cash to make things go faster because, wow, the girl at the cash register (her nameplate: Chiho Sasaki) is a STARISH fan— she's wearin' a shirt with their logo (and Otoya's face plastered all over it).

Ryuuya snickers behind him. He teases Ren, urging him to get a happy meal. The redhead jokingly responds by asking a male cashier to put in a toy with Ryuuya's meal too. The actor tries not to die of laughter. The cashier is just...confused.

They sit down in a corner somewhere ,and eat. (—EAT THEIR GROWNUP MEALS.) The two munch together quietly, tentatively watching the kids, frustrated parents, and some teens come in on their class break.

Somewhere halfway through mixing his second cup of mayonnaise & ketchup, and licking his fingertips, Ryuuya starts up a little more serious convo. They avoid important work related matters, and saying the names of their friends too loud, but the two mostly manage a conversation. Ryuuya's building up to it. He has to be clever, or else Ren will get too sassy, and avoid answering directly.

When finally prompted about his recent behaviour, the idol gets a little quiet..distant in his gaze, too. Not the reaction he expected either, and Ryuuya knows he didn't delve into the subject well.

Ren explains it best he can— being truthful, but without too many details. He clarifies about feeling a bit down lately, for no apparent reason..that it's also affecting his mood for romance, and enjoying things simply.

'Kay, this is when Ryuuya gets more seriously concerned, but Ren puts a hand up, and argues that if it can come out of the blue, then it must be the same kind of anomaly that goes away just as strangely fast. He brushes it off as nothing, even downplays how horribly intense it really feels. He waves a hand like it's nothing—it's nothing.

But Ryuuya's still not convinced. He tries to read Ren, his gaze stretching out, slowly intensifying, until the latter shrivels under the scrutiny.

Ren purses his lips. He hates that he can never deceive him, an eyebrow twitching in defeat.

Ryuuya knows it's not going anywhere, so he stretches his back in general exhaustion. The big, macho boyfriend proposes that they finish up this talk, later on, after dinner. He's gotta get back to work anyway.

He leaves Ryuuya in a sour mood, opting to take the underground train back to Point A, a plan done to avoid talking about the whole ordeal again. But he so badly wants to go back, cup the man's face, look at him straight in the eyes, and say with absolute certaintly that he's in love with him, that everything's alright. Moreso to reassure himself. However, things do seem to be getting better, somehow.. little heartbeat by little flutter.

It may actually be a freaky one time occurence as he had previously tried to reason? To suddenly feel emotionally numb, out of nowhere, it's too weird to ignore.. no, it's tremendously alarming.

Waking up one day, to look over to your partner, and feel nothing— that's a lover's nightmare. And all of it started close to a week before.

He feels the timeline blurring away to reveal exactly when it began. Ah, that's right.. The date of their dinner party, the one with Ringo, Haruka, and everyone. That day, he felt sort of dreary. But it went away as fast he felt it. Ren genuinely enjoyed that night, too. Then the weight of those paralysing feelings slammed back into his body the next night over, and it just continued on from there. So what exactly happened?

That afternoon, the rainbow gang hangs out around swingsets. It's a free day. A time to enjoy. The off-day is purposely synched every week so that the boys (and Haruka) can bond as a team. He just happened to have his own pushed back a day due to..well, circumstances, but it's alright. His afternoon's still open for them.

Their time's usually spent goofing off, but it's all the same. They enjoy each others' company. Syo chose the day's destination, or rather, he kind of did? The shortie decided on 'skaterpark', but unfortunately, and to Haruka's personal investigation, there are none around within a decent distance... So they settle for a park-park. Or ..a park. A classic playground, complete withs swings, a jungle gym, mounds of sand, a sports field, and a shady area with trees and benches.

A giant oak shelters the petite composer, and a few of her princes— Masato and Tokiya on either side, each studying or reading a book, easily left to their own devices.

Haruka gazes around, her knees tucked in. She's just content to watch them all.

Cecil chills up on the tree, overlooking the other hyperactive princes, duking it out in a game of thrones over the jungle gym.

Somewhere on a bench, Ren spends time braiding a crown out of small, wild flowers.

And what a better way to welcome the slowly coming evening than with song? To serenade the princess? The boys regroup soon enough, and sing their hearts out, showering Haruka with love.

Ren places the crown atop her head. She touches it affectionately.

Tokiya, Otoya, and Syo light up some firecrackers. Against a sunset backdrop, it looks like the perfect end to a perfect evening.

Or so Ren thinks.

Right after splitting, Haruka chooses to stay behind with Ren, asking for a few minutes of his time. She looks unsure of herself, but he waits patiently.

They decide to take a leisurely walk, watching the red blurb in the sky disappear just over the horizon.

The ledi wants to confess something, but isn't sure how to go about it. She says she's confused—really, really confused, and has been holding it in for some time now, but to the point that it's a real issue. And she doesn't wish to hide important things from the ones she cares most about. Especially since it's a conflicting matter, one that Ren, at least, deserves to know.

Haruka and Ren traipse along the sidewalk, just outside the park entrance.

They plan on taking a bus back. Everyone's already gone.

A heavy tone sets the atmosphere. She struggles to get the words out, hands curled around the hem of her skirt. Finally, it happens. Ren's insides turn to ice as the confession leaves her lips, his face tightening, fighting to display a whole wave of estrangled emotions.

The little lamb's got mixed-up feelings. And it recently hit her like a ton of bricks? Out of nowhere.. this spontaneous crush ..on Ryuuya.

She admits to purposely refraining from seeing him at work, and trying to avoid hearing his name, in a desperate attempt to contain it. Haruka kept it to herself, suppressed it as much as she could.

It pains her to feel this way, truthfully. She abhors the idea of betraying her precious friend like that, of feeling that way toward Ren's dearest one. Ryuuya's her friend too! A trusted colleague.. Ren's happiness, Ryuuya's too, they both mean so much to her, that she needed to tell him.

He understands, just barely. There's no way that Ren can blame her, feel angry—any of that.

Haruka adds that it too suddenly took a raging control of her mind. She doesn't want to feel this way anymore. She despairingly begs him for help. "Please help me fight this!!" Tears run down her face, as she bows repeatedly, apologizing over and over again. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!"

Ren's distraught, but he sympathizes. He tenderly wraps her up in a warm embrace, whispering his own apologies. There's not much else to say at that point. He holds her in silence on the bus ride back.

 


	8. The Dramatics

When Ren enters the apartment, the water's boiling— he hears it. He takes off his shoes, while Ryuuya leans against the kitchen doorway.

The older man wipes his hands with a towel, grin plastered on his face. Wearing an apron, of course, too.

A pile of grocery bags lie piled up in a corner. He asks for Ren's help in putting them away. And so after a quick kiss, Ren complies.

The redhead washes up after that, and awaits further orders.

Ryuuya notices the stale mood, and begins to question it.

Ren doesn't want to bring their chat from lunch back into this, and neither Haruka's confession so fast. He changes the subject, digging into cupboards and pulling out a box of pasta.

Cue the blue puppy eyes. "I'm hungry."

Ryuuya gives him a timorous look, "Hand it here."

Thus begins their cooking journey. And lemme tell you, Ren is only entrusted with cutting up the vegetables, and nothing more. It's not that he's bad at cooking, but Ryuuya doesn't want to burn his tongue off— the latter always makes the food too hot and spicy. It's kind of selfish, since Ryuuya himself would prefer milder things. Instead, he relies on Ren to hand over the ingredients one by one. Ryuuya would be the real chef between the two anyway, having exponentially more experience in a variety of dishes.

While they eat, Ryuuya asks about the rest of his day. Ren spares him the details, and returns the question too. It's a domestic conversation, in a domestic household, between a two domestic people. (And that's being honest, because they haven't had actual sex in nearly two weeks. Nothing wild there for some time.)

Ryuuya still remembers his words clearly.. that the younger's mood for romance has dulled? (Dulled is an understatement.) Ryuuya wouldn't pressure him for anything, regardless. It's not just romantic love that he feels; it really is mature, unconditional love.

But that doesn't mean he can't try to understand the situation. So Ryuuya does that exactly. He brings it back up, the topic from lunch. It was only a matter of time anyway.

Immediately— stifled groans from the other side. Ren tones the severity of it all down, half for hoping that it will turn out to be that way (not severe at all), but most intendedly to keep Ryuuya the least worried. That it started up about a week ago, that he feels emotionally drained, lacking in lust— that much gets filled in.

Ryuuya, most delicately, asks about his possible involvement, wondering, and possibly nervous that he might have hand in it becoming this way.

The shorter half puts a hand around the nape of his neck, craning it back. He's upset. Ren anticipated this kind of anxiety from Ryuuya, but it still completely crushes him. He creases his forehead at the pangs of pain attacking his chest. Of course, Ren tries to reassure his significant other that it's got nothing to do with him.

He continues the passionate rant, admitting that Ryuuya is his own heart's definition of the perfect lover, that being with him feels like home—not yet recognizing that strong emotions flow through his words, too wrapped up in explaining his dilemma to realize that something is, astoundingly, slowly..changing again.

The latter absolutely doesn't want to lose Ren. Feelings are a fickle matter, he can tell that the other's suppressing a deeper truth. But he swallows the lump in his throat, and looks as understanding as he most possibly can. Grabbing the redhead's hands in his own, Ryuuya kisses them deeply. Then he leans his face down in the open hands, holding up the underside with his own.

After a some still moments, he looks up again. Ren's eyes are red. Maybe his own as well. ..Ah. Remembering that morning he looked over to Ren's face.. things start piecing together. It's a slowly building panic. Their relationship hasn't had so many serious and delicate talks before. It almost feels like someone's leaving.. But apparently not, Ren promises. He tries his best to trust in that.

But the mood doesn't call for banana splits sundaes, not anymore.

Ryuuya remembers Ren expressing anticipation for them, before, when he was unloading the shopping bags. He bought everything for them: cherries, bananas, ice cream, sprinkles, peanuts, hot fudge, whipped cream.. but does it matter anymore? His appetite for dinner is long lost.

Ryuuya stands and starts picking up his plate.

Ren jumps up to take care of dishes for him, just something to change the atmosphere. Also to lessen the burden of everything. He doesn't speak.

Ryuuya takes a shower, meanwhile.

He cleans the table, too. It's guilt that makes him sweep the floor right after, and Ryuuya has to stop him in his towel. Well— he stops him because he's not brooming correctly.

But just when Ren's ready to sleep, Ryuuya calls him back to the kitchen.

He's giving the orange rose some fresh water. That annoys Ren for some reason, but he brushes it off.

Ryuu wants to tell him more about the other flower. Only fair, since they were being so honest before. Well, Ren listens, and listens with a darkening mood. Ryuuya says he planned on keeping it secret until more information revealed itself. He explains the rose's origins, how it appeared in his hands right after making eye contact with Muse.

Ren is mildly shocked, but then critically adds that the goddess also held his gaze for some minutes before disappearing. Ryuuya's claims to be aware, and talks about the video footage that Shining showed him.

The magic stuff's too weird. The redhead gets touchy for having been left out of things. Ryuuya's sorry, but Ren doesn't take it.

In fact, all the talk about Muse leads his mind straight back to Haruka and her untimely confession. He suppressed it well for the most-part, for tonight their own feelings were their main concern. But now the struggle starts up again, hitting him full force in the chest.

Why does Ryuuya take better care of some mysterious flower than the one he gave him out of love? Does mystery win over purity? If that hurt's coming, Ren wishes he'd stayed a closed-up pretty-play-boy, his heart kept chained—no— _protected_. Guilt hits him immediately for having thought it, and he takes it back, but..

Despite their whole emotional speech just before, this extremely tiny thing grows and fills up his mind till he's to the point of questioning Ryuuya's honour. It gets him tense and angry. Here's Haruka, falling so fast for his boyfriend, and he takes precious care of her flower. Meanwhile, his present—his symbol of their love lies dying in the office, his feelings perfectly reflecting that turmoil. It's so frustrating, he's overwhelmed.

Ren makes the mistake of starting an argument.

The back up of feelings stored in his sentimental arsenal begin to overflow. He's still unaware that these intensified emotions are exactly what he coveted during the emotive impasse. But Ren's brain is fried on a loop of tumult and disorder, overwhelmed by the stressful day's events, the week's frightening emotional stalemate, and now, yes, this tiny matter. It's too much for him to handle at once. He wants to cry, wants to release this pent-up frustration somehow, but a piercing glare holds back the stinging tears.

So Ren admits that he's pissed off, jealous even, that Ryuuya puts more concern over this enigmatic rose than the sentimental one that should matter equally, if not more. It's so stupid, and he's yet to calm down and realize that, but there's an underlining and personal connection to that flower that brings him to its defense. It's almost instinctive, like he's fighting for his own honour. Somewhere in that inexplicable and uncontrollable feeling is the key to his incomprehensible behaviour.

But that's only the very tip of the iceberg, his concerns don't stop there. Ren exclaims a rush of truths in a punch of volume, his voice cracked. The true degree of his emotions all week, how he couldn't think of one loving thought without forcing it, without hating himself for having to do that. It all comes out, his previous lies and pretenses for naught.

Ryuuya stands paralyzed all the while, hands trying to cope by frantically moving everywhere. He's failing to assess the situation. Things seemed to be getting better just a moment ago? It's an instant calamity to his already shaken up core. He wants to force Ren to calm down, but at the same time desires to hear him out. It's the finishing blow to his spirit. However, Ryuuya's jumbled thoughts are cut off, when through blubbering tears at last, Ren starts up about Haruka's confession. And he puts bitter emphasis on it.

Now through a rising panic, Ryuuya's grows steadily upset. He's slightly angry at Ren for not talking to him sooner, but mostly at himself for not heeding greater concern over the previous signs and warnings. And he firmly mentions that for lack of a proper response.

Ryuuya tries to reach out to him, but Ren takes a shaky step back. That single movement makes the blood in his veins run cold. He drops both arms down for sudden lack of strength, hands shaking at his sides, thumb running over his knuckles, feeling the curve of his ring. He searches desperately for an equilibrium in their strife. How can he fix this? Is there a way? He still doesn't understand anything.

Haruka's affections don't flatter him, it's not an important thing to think about right now. The reveal isn't as shocking as Ren's leaky display. But it seems a big deal for him, the sniffling fool having sat back down to sob over folded arms.

Ryuuya declares that Haruka's crush doesn't phase him, and he calls him an idiot for thinking it could change anything. He's disappointed in Ren's reaction. Ryuuya expected something more mature, more thought-out, not an exploding concussion.

Honestly, it's completely unlike Ren at all, and the redhead's own comprehension of that makes him fully confused and wholly ashamed as well. Yet as a last resort of defence, Ren accuses him of not trying to understand, of not probing further when it was clear that he was hiding something more.

Ryuuya resents that, responding sharply that he was being stubborn, and that he himself already resigned to wait for readied answers despite his own wishes.

Ren falls short of a reply and stumbles into a regretful quiet as a growing horror dawns on him. It's makes him lament the whole scene instantaneously. It's not Ryuuya he's upset with, but himself.

The steadfast sensei tries to magnify his perspective by making a significant display. Ryuuya brings the vase back to the sink. He empties the fresh water down the drain. Ren throws his head back up in confoundedness, staring blankly.

Ryuuya understands a bit more now. All he needed was a few extra minutes to think, to process it. The rose might have incredible significance to Shining's goals, its safety entrusted to him, but it couldn't matter more at the moment. He could care less now, a regret he'll welcome later. Never should he be sorry for trying to ease Ren's mind, no matter how absurd the situation.

Ryuuya drops the orange blossom to the floor. He feels Ren watching him. Through a shaky breath, a foot stomps down on the furl of petals, crushing it flat. He throws his foot down again for emphasis, then picks it up and disposes of it.

Ren's speechless, immobile too, eyes still glued to the floor. So stunned, he doesn't realize Ryuuya walking up to him from the side. A gentle pry, and he lets himself, hand-in-hand, be sluggishly pulled to the bedroom.

In the center of the bed, Ryuuya's strong arms form a protective cocoon around him. They stay like that in the darkness, in silence, until their heartbeats calm down and form a steady rhythm.

In a soft voice, Ryuuya asks Ren about the current state of his feelings. The adolescent opens his lips. "I—" But Ryuuya finishes it. "—love you." A pause, and then he repeats it. "..I love you." It's a throaty whisper, but it's the truth.

The shared warmth between their bodies eases tensed muscles. The smell of soap and shampoo are strong. They've both forgotten to brush their teeth.

Ren speaks up, his voice tired. "I love you." His lips bear a sad smile. "..That's why I'm fighting."

A few seconds fly by, and Ryuuya kisses his neck. Ren's not himself in any normal sense. This isn't how he reacts to things. It's perplexing. His fit was too... dramatic. It reminds him of volcanoes overflowing. He can't yet place a finger on the true irony of that comparison.

Ren falls asleep in his arms, but Ryuuya doesn't get a wink of rest.

 


	9. One Orange Rose

It's fairly early. The sky's still in night mode. Wind howls and slams against their windows, a pitter-patter omnipresent. It spatters against the glass like the beating of a drum. The clock reads 4:38 AM. Ryuuya can't sleep. He gets out of bed and pulls on some fresh clothes.

He stares worriedly at Ren. Red curls are stuck to his sleepy face. He looks so peaceful, but that's merely his body submitting to unconscious anesthesia. The second he wakes, the night's memories might come flooding back in, crushing him to the floor, pinning him in the chest.

Ryuuya clenches his teeth. He avoids eating. He won't allow himself to see the trashed flower, for fear of last night's actions coming back to haunt him. Shining would need to find out soon.. He starts to brace himself for a reprimand, for he's sure to face one.

Ryuuya leaves in the freezing cold rain, off on a very early route to work.

First thing he does after getting into work is elude his office. A million swarming thoughts threaten his sanity, but he manages to keep it together, if barely. It's an important day at the agency.

Hours pass while waiting in the staff lounge. The storm outside doesn't lessen. He's on his fifth cup of coffee. There's no appetite for anything. He just stares out the window until the intercom reaches him. Looks like it's beginning.

In the halls, the workplace sees more movement. He takes an elevator down to one of the expansive rooms below ground zero. It's a recording studio. Shining notices him and hurriedly ushers him into one of the enclosed control rooms.

Tomochika's setting up inside the booth. She notices him and gives a wave and a matching bright smile.

The fuchsia-haired girl mouths something to him through the glass. He tries to read her lips. "Thank..you...sensei...for...this...chance..I...will...make...everyone....proud~!"

She then proceeds to bow so many times that the helper adjusting equipment in the booth has to stop her before she can hurt herself.

He notices a few other fellow workers with him in the room. Ringo must be starting class about now. Shining gives the go sign.

Tomochika sings his song with a passionate ferver. Ryuuya's instantly blown away out of his aching mind and transported to a rhythm of memories. The same ones that helped him compose that music, especially those lyrics. They feel good and lift his heart for sometime before the present impacts him like a bloody head-pounding brick.

They repeat, and repeat, and repeat, constructively criticize, repeat, and repeat, take a short break, and repeat some more. By noon hour, One Orange Rose is fully recorded. Shining's pleased, and he has a full team of editors due to work on it day and night until its release date. He wants the radio to have it Sunday afternoon.

Ren wakes up late and turns off his phone right away. He's more than embarrassed about the night before.. And just wants a tremendous wave of silence to wash over him. There's a lot of thinking to do..

Ren does something he hasn't done in months. He calls his manager from the house-line and cancels the day's work, swiftly hanging up before his mind can change. The rain lets up by the time he leaves. He lets the wind take him anywhere.

By the early afternoon, Ren opens his mobile again. It rings and vibrates a wave of missed texts with furious urgency. There are a bunch of missed calls too. He looks down the list of numbers. They're all from fellow STARISH members?!

The teen finally checks out his texts. His blood-drained face bears a panic, a gulp stuck in his throat. Fingers hastily dial whatever number first comes to mind. Then he breaks into a run.

Cecil, Tokiya, and Syo start berating him the second he walks in. Masato gives him dirty glares from the side.

They're all gathered at the school's second dorm attachment— the living quarters for graduated students and their senpais. Haruka's still living there for the time being.

She's passed out on the lounge couch, with Natsuki acting as her nurse. Otoya's on the floor beside her, absolutely unsure of what to do with himself; he looks gloomy, somehow quite out of it.

Tokiya starts explaining first, but Masato takes over when it's clear that he's too angry to form a coherent story.

Apparently, Otoya met up with her in the morning, and watched Haruka progress to her current state. She was mostly quiet, but when questioned, kept talking about Ren, 'Jinguji-kun's feelings matter most', nonsensical fragments and the like. She seemed hypnotized, or else depressed, and exhibited unresponsive behaviour.

When the rest of the boys joined her, she started despairing silently, but refused to admit her woes. It as if she woke up despondent, and as the day went by, continued to bend in half.

Unlike herself, and so out of character, it stunned and worried everyone. At one point, Haruka began crying, but didn't notice her tears until one of the boys pointed it out. They tried everything to cheer her up. They dragged her across town to all their many different ideas. But in the end, mumbled that she couldn't take the 'loss of colour', and fainted in a rush of dizziness.

The boys think he might have done something to hurt her, but Ren insists that it never happened and nor will it ever. He's sympathetic, but still lacking a serious dose of reality, of feeling normal sensations, with the previous night still locking him in a wave of disorientation.

Maybe.. somewhat.. perhaps similar.. to the condition.. if he were to compare. But numbness takes over again.

The boys finally calm down some, but their worries don't decrease. Ringo enters the loop as a teacher fresh from lunch break. He's filled in about matters quickly, and also contributes some suspicious glances at Ren. But instead of scolding the former school prince, he shocks the rest of them by swiftly pulling Ren aside to speak with him in private.

"I may have realized this too late..." The pink-hued idol unravels a strange tale.

Meanwhile, Ryuuya finally addresses his anxiety and enters the office. First thing he spots is the decaying rose. The water is unchanged and mostly evaporated.

"..."

His desk lays untouched, but the dusty tiles around his area— all uncleaned. He notes that it's been accumulating for a while. Are the janitors doing their job? It's the second time he notices that.. Everywhere else seems spick and span, so why just his area?

He sprints back out into the hallway, and nearly collides with Shining. After voicing his complaint about the cleaning, Saotome says that he was just making a visit on the behalf of that very reason.

Apparently, the janitor in charge of that area let something slip. They talked to the other janitors about avoiding that particular desk after some man was caught butt-naked on it, doing god-knows-what.

Ryuuya's face is blanched, so Shining reacts in his place, booming out his signature laugh. Saotome promises that the place will be properly cleaned overnight. He doesn't even ask questions! What a kind (or knowing) boss.

That idea has Ryuuya blushing, nervously swallowing back his shame. But just before walking away, Shining receives an urgent call. That makes him hang in the hallway a moment longer.

But in that same moment, Ryuuya remembers the rose. He slides back into the office , retrieving the glass container, desperately hoping that the flower might still make yet another miraculous repair. After everything the previous night detailed, he better make this one thing work for them.

Ryuuya swears under his breath as he dashes past Shining, the boss's sentence cut short as shaded eyes lock onto the limp and dying clump of petals. Saotome waits for him to make a solid distance before speaking to himself.

"...There are two.."

When Ryuuya returns, Shining watches him attentively from the doorway. The diligent worker places the freshly filled flower cup back onto the windowsill. Better it stay there, and get all the sunlight it can. As long as it doesn't rain anymore, too.

Shining makes an interesting remark about his previous call, disclosing Ringo as the caller, then vaguely revealing that he may have unlocked an answer to the mysterious rose that appeared in Ryuuya's hand days before.

Ryuuya looks sick, he tries to open his mouth, to confess his sin— but Shining cuts him off by repeating, "VEEEERY INTERESTING."

He has no choice but to listen, scratching the back of his head in anxiousness.

First off, he gets informed that Haruka's not feeling well, that she fainted not long ago, and that the school medic is currently taking a look at her. As predicted, that's a wide-eyed flabbergasted shock for him. The STARISH boys reside with her, and Ringo only dropped by to gather up this information and relay it to him.

Shining explains that Ringo has a theory, and that it's worth some observation. He goes on to clarify that Muse's rose may have a direct link to Haruka's health. That if something unfortunate befalls the flower, that perhaps it may directly and negatively impact Haruka as a result. He continues that Ringo also has reason to believe that the flower is not currently in its best shape, and that Ryuuya might know what that means.

And of course now he's completely aware of the implication, and wrecked with guilt— but suspicious of how that too specific link was suggested— then it hits him. Ren must be there with the rest of STARISH, of course!

Ryuuya hastily inquires about the chance of Haruka's condition being fatal were the rose's situation possibly beyond repair. But Shining responds with silence, his face grave. He knows now that Ryuuya did something.

His face hardens into a deep frown. That's it, the indication that forces him into action. In 0.2 seconds he's sliding down the halls, barely catching each turn till he's out of sight. This is a dangerous rush against time, and he hopes it's not too late.

 

 


	10. Floating Thoughts

The front door to his apartment bursts open, slamming into the wall. He curses in surprise at the sheer force of the push. He was almost pulled over on the way there, too.

Ryuuya nearly trips over the carpet in getting to the kitchen. He swings open the bottom cupboard to where the little garbage pail should be, and flips open the lid.

“.....?!”

It— It's missing.

Then he hears some startled noises behind him. Ryuuya swerves around fast to meet Ren head on, the scared teen standing up from his seat.

There on the table behind him is the quite dead and squished rose, some petals fallen, but its limp stem braced up with a wire inside a fresh vase of water. Next to it is a bag of sugar and a bottle of vodka. It's a method to stop a plant's bacterial infection, usually a few drops help do the trick.

He breathes out. Ren is known for his green thumb. He's so instantly relieved, but the anxiety of everything dog-piles on him at once. Ren calls out his name, but he doesn't hear. Dizzily... he falls to his knees, head lolling, wearing a wobbly smile of both ease and regret. Tears flow from his eyes, slipping over his cheeks..trickling down his neck.

Ren doesn't stand by though— he throws himself onto Ryuuya's shoulders trying to comfort him. The Goddess entrusted something to him, and without understanding it, he put Haruka's life in turmoil, possibly fatal danger. Ren feels as equally guilty, but he can't summon up the tears anymore. They have already run out.

During the moment they embrace, Ryuuya's mobile goes off. Ren slips into his pocket, and picks up for him. Shining's on the other end. It's an important order for Ryuuya to bring in the rose first thing tomorrow. That's all he says before hanging up.

In his own private office, Saotome ponders deeply, his interlaced fingers leaning close to nasal level. Before him, at the corner of his desk, the orange rose from Ryuuya's office floats bathed in a plasma incubator of light and energy.

It was simple magic that would slowly and surely restore the organism to its former state. Inherent magical properties did exist within it. This is what was indicated in a private test he finished conducting. But why...? It used to be a normal flower, not enchanted at all. So why is it changed now...?

And why does no one know how to take care of a god damn flower, like treat it tenderly, and protect it? It's a delicate existence. It may survive, it may not, but that depends on how much care it gets.

Ryuuya made that mistake twice, and twice he's paid the price. The flower is his song, the song is his relationship. They're all connected.

After a bit of hesitation, Shining picks up the telephone. He dials fast. It picks up. Then he speaks clearly, the command unquestionable. "Prepare two choppers for immediate use within the following dayyyyys. Further orders to be set tomorrow morningggg-uh."

The next day, the two (barely rested) (very agitated) (extremely guilty) (eternally sighing) (sad and moping) lovebirds go in to see Shining.

(Lovebirds, yes.)

I'ts true that Ren feels normal again, but he's not sure about its permanence. He still woke up feeling shitty for all their other problems, and it was hard to tell at first, but there in his chest, ever-so apparent, he felt it— he feels it— _fullness_. There was no more hollow numbness, no bizarre mundane feeling of looking at life from outside himself.

The little cute things that Ryuuya does catches his eyes again, and he marvels at them. The force of his emotions reveal itself in layers, slowly coming back to his attention. He hasn't mentioned the change yet.

Ryuuya brings Ren along because he's just about a part of this as he is. That's what the actor decided on. But just as well, it's almost time for Ren to see his next week's schedule.

Ryuuya goes ahead, and Ren stays behind in the waiting room.

The actor's surprise is instantaneous. He grips the neck of the ceramic vase in shock. (The one holding Muse's flower.) (The one he's meant to bring in.) Very stunned— he's frozen at the sight of the orange blossom on Shining's desk. It's glowing is peachy, full of vitality and vibrancy. He has to make a double-take to be certain. But yeah... It's Ren's rose. Same glass container, exact juxtaposition of the leaves.. Shining catches him in a daze and snaps him out of it.

The director gets down to business right away. Quite urgent, you know. Before explaining, Shining gets up and retrieves the vase from Ryuuya's hands. He's almost reluctant to let it go, but he does.

Saotome reveals straight off the bat that tests proved the flower from the office to contain extraordinary traces of magical properties. Silver eyes widen— things piece together subconsciously?

Shining wants to verify its similarities to Muse's flower, you know, right after regenerating it. They are, after all, both orange roses, both magical, and that's more than suspicious. Even more, when considering that one of them has a direct link to a human being's physical and/or mental state.

Shining wants to confirm something, so he does some hocus pocus incantation to encase Muse's flower in a floating glob of shining plasma.

Ryuuya's insanely weirded out, with all these shocks coming at once, but somehow he handles it with grace..

Effects are momentary; the limp stem slowly straightens, long-gone petals regrow into place. Decayed parts change in molecular structure, the sheen of orange emerges from dead brown, and ripped pieces web together again. It's truly a miracle. He lets it incubate in the healing energy.

Shining confronts Ryuuya at last. He proposes his theory.

It follows this idea. Ren may be sharing a connection with the other rose. (Ryuuya frantically tries to speak up—) (Shining doesn't let him.) The headmaster knows the song's relation to Ren, so it shouldn't easily be dismissed. He admits the flower was definitely a normal plant before, but somehow changed, he thinks, as a part of an enchantment born of the Goddess' spell the instant the other rose appeared in Ryuuya's hand.

It could be a test of some sort. Perhaps his offering at the volcano was the most appropriate one but still not sufficient enough (or yet to become enough through this test?). Maybe it has another meaning far removed from all of that, but regardless— caution is very necessary now. This situation's an anomaly (it never happened before). Anyone's guess is valid.

Ryuuya's face crumples in deep thought. He takes a few moments to ponder over it. There's a lot of things to process. Shining lets him take a seat.

After several minutes of staring at the floating flower, the boss looks assured. He jumps in again, concluding that both roses share the same magical traces within them. Their enchantments both come from Muse herself. But why she created the possibility of Haruka, her vessel, getting hurt in the fray, that's a mystery yet to be solved. There must in fact be a more complex reasoning behind it?

Ryuuya speaks up at last. He's got a billion and one things turning in his mind, but he composes himself enough to talk about at least one.

First off, he goes on about Ren's recent emotional turmoil. It may be a bit too personal, but he guards that with a warning, and it's necessary for his overall theory. He sucks up the embarassment and continues, freely talking about the unique depression that plagued his partner. He describes its characteristics to the best of his ability, from what Ren supplied verbally. He then goes on to disclose the similar behaviour in Haruka for comparison, information which Ren relayed to him as well. Also her newly apparent feelings for him— that one surprises even Shining.

His opinion or conclusion is that when each of their roses experience decay, so does their mental state undergo a similar impact, to the exact degree. He uses the recent dinner party as an example— Haruka felt a bit down by the end of the night because he'd been using Muse's flower as a boutonniere. (Shining glares in disbelief.) (Ryuuya shrugs it off nervously) (Continuing then—)

And when each flower thrives, their hearts experience a similar reaction in turn. In Ren's case, it's returning back to normal (or close to that), his original sentimental state. For Haruka, well, it may be leading her to cultivate romantic feelings for Ryuuya.

That leads Shining to cut in, adding that it might be the key to Muse's ulterior motive for it all. Ryuuya has to agree, that's where his mind was going. But why?

They need a way to break the spell, and return Haruka to her former self, if indeed her crush is a side-affect of Muse's power. (Ryuuya sweats.) Shining rationalizes that the reason Ryuuya's song was chosen was because it exemplifies a love so strong that even a divine entity might covet something like it. And since Haruka is Muse's only vessel to any semblance of mortal life...

That, apparently, makes so much sense that it smacks the actor into an awful silence.

Using both their brains, they refine the theory. It's then agreed on that Muse may simply be after the raw feeling of passionate human love more than Ryuuya himself..but since it _is_ in fact his song she decided on, and his own love reflected within it..

"One Orange Rose." Shining's voice booms in the small expanse thickly consumed by their floating thoughts.

Ryuuya looks up. The director unravels his final theory.

The song is explicitly titled 'One Orange Rose', yet there's two. If Muse wants Ren and Ryuuya's type of love, and seeks out Ryuuya to complete her plan, then she may be also jealous of Ren. The enchantment is in the title itself. There is meant to be one rose. Just one.

That's why either flowers, even in their magical states, are susceptible to perishing. Why Haruka would end up getting hurt as Muse's rose withers might in fact be the goddess' lament of failing. The roses might work similarly to an hourglass. One half is meant to pour into the other. What if Ren's feelings were pouring into the STARISH composer?

Ryuuya's eyes land on the clock, but his mind is still on the topic. It makes too much sense, perfect sense.

His watch beeps. Wait a second.. the time! They spent too long chatting. In his mind, he imagines Ren reluctantly making his way to the meeting for his schedule.

The teacher takes a seat parallel to Shining, the desk and blooms between them.

"We need a plan."

Yes, a way to diffuse this spell. Shining seems to be waiting for something—for.. for him? He formulates one on his own then.

"What if.. well.. what if.." He takes a minute to rethink his thoughts.

Ryuuya suggests giving the rose back to Muse. Not thoughts about _how_ yet, but he tries to back up his reasoning. If the spell began when the second rose appeared, then it might disappear in the same way. However, destroying the rose would hurt Haruka, so the only option left is to have her take it back.

He's just not going to let the enchantment win. Ren is his, and that's the end of it.

A brilliant idea strikes him!! The volcano on Shining's private island... He remembers it vividly, how strange it was.. the music sheet thrown into magma, only to reappear at the office in perfect condition. Was the lava itself imbued with supernatural elements? If he could just.. throw the rose in, maybe it'll return to Muse. That could be like his final answer to her; a proper rejection to her unusual confession. And then maybe she'll reverse the spell, with no hard feelings? Though he couldn't put it past a deity to be scornful. Still, it's the only thing he can come up with. Otherwise... O-Otherwise...

Shining jumps from his seat, moving to stand at his side. He understands that his employees' feelings are a very important matter, but so is pleasing Muse. And with Muse pleased comes her blessing for the company.

They worked so hard and for so long to get to that point. He's not about to throw it away on an assumption. That's why he refuses the idea. Also because he's not sure how throwing the rose into a volcano might impact Haruka's well-being. He declines the theory based on those risks.

But Ryuuya's not ready to give up. He stands up, insisting on his idea. They dispute it. It gets loud. It gets angry. It gets regretful. It's not going well.

Their faces remain grave, agitated, but most of all determined, and for different reasons. That's when Shining offers it, at last, the chance to let him do what he wants. The headmaster's shining personality breaks through, his smile tough but calculating.

After a moment of tension, he challenges Ryuuya to a duel. Hand-to-hand combat. Winner will have their wishes followed through. No take-backs. Then it's merely praying that all goes well. They reluctantly shake on it. The meeting place is at a nearby gymnasium, only a few hours from then.

Being released from that office is like finding himself in a different world. The atmosphere is instantly changed.

He's nervous, but strangely hopeful. And sure of his abilities. Just confident enough, but on high alert. Saotome is no easy opponent.. he's a man of a million mysteries. That display of magic before was just one such mystery.

He decides to keep the fight a secret from Ren, at least until the match is well over. He could get hurt.. _really_ hurt during the battle. And if Ren should try persuading him against it, he would quickly give in. But Ryuuya can't let _anyone_ stand in the way of this chance, so he has to risk it. He has to stay silent—but also because explaining the duel would need him to discourse their theory, and it's overall best that Ren not find out for the time being. He's had enough stress lately. Ryuuya would shoulder it in his stead.

 


	11. Hanky Panky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bit, yep.

Ren should be normal again—Ryuuya accounts for that much, since putting his thoughts back in order. But that the teen should find out he's aware of it.. well, _that_ might lead to questions he couldn't answer yet, and still.. there's no helping himself anymore.

A wave of relief begins to grow inside of him, and he just wants to celebrate it. Their relationship never really had a problem. It was forced by another hand! They were messed with, toyed with, but now that's ended—sort of.

Before long, he's sniffling, and _aaah_ — _shoot_ , ready to cry. But he's smiling. The worry for Haruka and the rest of it all daunts on him heavily, but he wants to see Ren. Just.. wants to see him. Wants to kiss his face, to hold him, and feel that affection happily and easily returned. And he doesn't care if it means pulling him out of a meeting.

The confused teen is delighted but, yes, of course, _confused_. However, things really _are_ back to the way they were. It's noticeable in their vivacious exchanges.

Ren seems more relaxed, his mood safely in check. No longer so easily disturbed, usually, unless by magic— but for the moment all of that was _no longer_.

"Shh—" He pulls out the "Questions later" card, finger pressed to the redhead's lips. Ren tries it up again, but Ryuuya playfully shushes him until he huffs in response. Do they even need words to communicate?

The two sneak around the agency, settling in a private area. Staying true, these places don't have surveillance cameras monitoring them daily, but there's no locks on the door to compensate. He looks around for a chair to block it with but— (You hear the noise of wood clanging against wood)

Oh. Ren's already done that. He catches on quick. A slow smile curls on the younger's mouth, equally slow steps advancing forward. Ryuuya bites his lips in anticipation.

Arms around each other, they share a gaze that confesses one too many things. It's somewhat tender. Ren's soft silence admits his amorous affections are returned, as if ever untouched. Ah, but Ryuuya already knows that. And such truth is reflected in his eyes. Honestly, they could stop, and then Ren would pry with lingering questions.. but ..who cares for answers right now.

Their lips find a pull of their own, kisses long and warm, filled with craving. They can't stand to move apart between breaths. Arms curve around lean muscle, whose hands grab at garments in the way. In only a few short paces, Ryuuya backs Ren onto a lounge chair. The younger unbuttons his own shirt right away. This thrills his former teacher, pink splattering over his cheeks and ears. He hurries then too, unbuckling his pants.

Their intimacies are still limited with the lack of necessities, and spit is an uncomfortable commodity. But luckily, there's so many more ways to love and satisfy. They hop to the nearby couch, with most of their clothes relieved onto the floor.

The feel of skin is even hotter than the tongue that leaves a trail of burning wetness blazing across Ryuuya's chest. The redhead bites and nibbles his collarbone, his partner's strong hands slipping underneath to caress and pull apart the latter's inner thighs. They're a tangle of gently moving limbs, spontaneously pushing each other down to share more intense kisses, sensual strokes and lustful licks in some sensitive places. They draw it out teasingly, lapping up every bit of skin they can cherish.

Breathing gets heavy, breathy, with half-smiles playful, eyes lidded and entranced. Little kisses move up and down Ryuuya's neck, with a light bite and lick on his adam's apple. He winces in pleasure.

Excited, whispered instructions then move Ren into his lap, where he gets kissed on the back of the head. In reaction to that, Ren curls his head back into Ryuuya's chest, eyes peering up, their faces close. He receives a quick kiss on the nose! Ren blushes.

His arms curve back around Ryuuya's neck while squirming a bit, face red hot as he attempts to snatch up Ryuuya's lips at the awkward angle. The legs underneath him work to keep his own spread apart, Ryuuya's caresses turning more thorough and rhythmic. Moans and whimpers easily escape him, then quick and short gasps—!

The shallow breathing settles down, and a blissful mood spreads. They stay cradled for a minute, then Ren moves off his lap. Ryuuya holds up his hand, but his partner slaps it away, sarcastically laughing like ' _no_ , what do you expect _me_ to do with that?'

But he does happily do something else, getting off the couch, and down on his knees. Ryuuya's dry hand meekly tangles through amber locks of hair, and the man gives a sharp intake. Stifled gasps continue while a saliva slicked tongue trails and twirls around the head, tempting him for more noises. One eye open, he sneaks a peak at the flushed face. Ryuuya's embarrassed. It's so cute.

A slight pull of hair, and he flinches, going back down. Ryuuya's sounds are _way_ too ear-pleasing.. During these moments, that voice is his personal arrangement.

The bounce and rise and fall drives him so crazy, he can't hold it back anymore, the huffs less sparse. Ren makes sure to relish it. The elder tries (desperately) to control his body, slight spasms forcing him to jerk his hips upward.

Ren finally catches his breath, sneaking in a lazy rotten smirk. He swallows Ryuuya again, finishing him off more slowly, his hand at the base wet and sticky. A surge of heat rushes through his partner, completely lost in the elation.

Ren swallows the hot gulp full, the back of his hand used to wipe his mouth. They're both slightly out of breath, a gentle wave of relief beginning to stir in. Ren gets up on his lap again, and the two hold each other briefly, fondling, murmuring nothings.

But they hear something— a random creak at the supposedly blocked door rushes them back to their senses— a few gawks of panic— They hectically look for the tissue box on the desk, and scramble for their clothes.

After freshening up in a bathroom, it's time to settle some things. Ryuuya's got to put his mind to rest about something before the big battle. And from the men's room, they head down to the cafeteria.

Screw the meeting— Ren decides to go back later to inform himself of the stuff, it all can wait.

STARISH joins them in fifteen minutes. They're mostly through lunch by then.

While gobbling the mediocre cafeteria food, Ren is filled in about the restoration of Muse's rose (courtesy of Shining's freakus hocus pocus), though Ren says he already noticed the changes in her at the beginning of his meeting.

Ryuuya packs down double meals. He's storing the energy for later on—gonna need that. Ren doesn't question it, he doesn't care in the moment—all things considering. And since Ryuuya's an old man and sex could tire him out, he makes a second move for dessert too. But Ren doesn't let him finish it, he steals the sweets, and walks away to visit his teammates at the other table.

The actor throws a few wary glances at their direction. Ren and the others seem relieved that Haruka's well. Then he's glad as well.. Only Ren at this point knows the full condition behind her illness. Shining doesn't want to spread a panic with the accompanied million questions just yet, so they're biding time before spilling the beans.

Guilt washes up over him yet again. He tries to shove it away, to the back of his mind, a contemplation saved for later. A shake of his head, and he stares deeply at the table before him. _Sighhhhhh_.

Ryuuya cleans up and begins to walks away, trying very hard to discreetly grab someone's attention. Just one person in particular. No—not Ren.

Cecil Aijima looks up; their eyes meet. He's got cat eyes. They see things, understand stuff the lot of them can't comprehend, despite his immature disposition. Cecil knew a mysterious way of existence before joining them.

Magic is so absurd. And yet...? Ryuuya shakes off the enigmatic shiver crawling up his back. But it's alright, 'cause he was vying for the youth's attention anyway. That it worked out by only intending it is pretty strange. He beckons him with a small wave, and Ryuuya walks out of the cafeteria, anticipating the prince to follow.

He's joined by the boy not a moment afterward. They walk through the hall. Ryuuya's sure that Cecil knows more than he's letting on, but he starts from the very beginning anyway. Starting with the appearance of Muse earlier that week.

They sit down on a bench, and he explains it in order to the best that his memory would allow him, lowering his voice when people walk by, careful not to leave out details. He struggles to get out some important parts, the ones that hurt a lot to confess. However, he remains discreet enough to keep the most private things private.

The teen shows an expected range of emotions at first, but settles down into calm silence. Finally, Ryuuya admits it's true that not everyone is ready to hear about it yet, AND yet.. he feels that Cecil should know.. for some reason. Cecil knows why.

And he shows his gratitude by placing a hand on the teacher's shoulder. In a reassuring voice, the prince responds with forgiveness. His eyes shine with a slightly hurt but deep understanding. He speaks for all of them (STARISH, etc).

Ryuuya doesn't really know what to say. He hunches forward, cradling his face in designation.

Cecil assures him again, saying that his theory (surprisingly) makes a lot of sense. That it's a risk he's willing to put his faith in. This helps Ryuuya's resolve strengthen.

The shorter companion adds in that if the match later on doesn't get on so well, that he'd secretly carry out the plan in his place, if his connection to the goddess has any kind of credibility. That offer is extremely over-appreciated.

In the meantime, Cecil mentions also that he'll do as much praying as he can, believing it'll help.


	12. They Fall from the Ceiling

Ryuuya thinks about going back, but instead leaves for a walk and some fresh air. He sends a text to Ren letting him know that.

Less than ten minutes later, heavy panting catches up with him.

"What the..?" Ryuuya turns around.

Ren bends over, trying to catch his breath. He reaches out dramatically, one eye closed, struggling in the blast of exhaustion.

 _Dummy_.

Ryuuya swings an arm around him, pulling his head in close.

Ren looks annoyed at being manhandled. The adolescent huffs, exclaiming that he shouted for his attention like ten times. In truth, Ryuuya was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice.

They walk for a bit, and share some idle talk about Haruka's improved condition. It only helps to relieve some guilt, because the inner tension doesn't stop growing.

Ren's asks him about Shining's plans for the rose. Ryuuya, remembering his partner's limited knowledge, carefully skirts around the conversation. He doesn't want him to know just yet. It's better that way, is what he keeps telling himself.

Still a few hours to go before that duel.

It might help to know his surroundings. They visit the nearby gym, the one to be used for his upcoming fight.

Ren thinks the visit is just a whim, after all, tough action-movie guys gotta stay in shape. And this newly-opened gym is far closer to work and home than his regular one, he could just be there to check things out (not far from the truth actually).

It's pretty damn huge. It has an indoor court for tennis, badminton, also an indoor and outdoor pool, rock-climbing, weights room, a track field out back (with plenty more things too).

A manager walking around somehow recognizes him, and tries to ask about the arranged combat later—he hastily shushes him up, but they continue to talk in private while Ren wanders off.

Apparently the duel is to happen in one of two possible rooms. Either the boxing ring, or a room full of mats. The intention is for him to choose the environment and style. He checks them both out thoroughly.

Ren finds him again, pulling Ryuuya out to the back, where in the distance is one simply magnificent view—a back view of the Academy against a backdrop of sky and forestry. It's pretty breathtaking, 'cause the sun reflects off shiny parts of the architecture in the most majestic way.

They slowly back up to get the most out of this view, their warm hands curling together. Steps get closer and closer to the outdoor pool, of which they're aware. And very careful to not back up too far, they wouldn't make a silly mistake like that.

But together, they're like children, or fools all the same. So without a word to explain, the two get across that it's time to play.

Ren takes a step back, Ryuuya follows. A sideways glance is met. It's a challenge. Ryuuya backs up half a foot, Ren complies. Elbows nudging each other for the next move. All the while, the grip on each other tightens, and faces fight to stay relaxed. They continue a few steps back.

At last minute, the redhead bursts into delicious laughter. Ryuuya chuckles with him. They forget their footing for an instant, Ryuuya taking another step back—

He pulls on the other's hand, dragging him along into the clash.

A sharp splash which clears the mind, they plunges into a sensory burst, of frantic gasps for air, freezing water rushing into ears, eyes, mouths—the taste of chlorine on their tongue, filling up their nostrils. A large string of coughs, and they try to get the water out of the wrong pipes. The light-headed, dizzying, floating feeling pumps into their veins like anesthetic.

That's the shock of falling into a chilly pool.

Ren's hair is glued to his face. Ryuuya parts it for him, laughing. The idol's not so happy about this; he forcefully tries to dunk Ryuuya's head.

Despite the initial shock of it all, they both chuckle about the misshapen event.

Ryuuya really did need that though. To stay alert, sharp, clear, for later on. It was a nice adrenaline boost. A little too wet though. And they'll get in trouble no doubt—

Ren sneezes.

 _Oh_.

Ryuuya beckons him a little.

The two guys float to the edge. They throw themselves over, sitting halfway. Ryuuya stands up, then pulls Ren the rest of the way.

Lips blue, and teeth chattering, they're shivering when the two get close to the door, but awaiting them at the back entrance is a very displeased manager (glaring at them, arms crossed).

The two are fortunately pardoned 'cause yet unknown to Ren is Shining's special reservation at the gym later on– well, on top of them both being credible celebrities, too.

They run a real quick stop back at the apartment, stripping down from borrowed clothing (official wear with the gym logo plastered all over it). The damp men take hot showers in turns, but there's no time to linger or do anything _eeeelse_. You see, Ren has to go back and re-examine his schedule before the agency closes up.

So while the redhead takes up the bathroom, Ryuuya packs up a small bag of necessities. Just ..t _hings_.. _yeah_ , in case he wins later.

He'll want to try out his theory as soon as possible, that is, Shining will probably have some kind of transportation on hold for him in the event that he succeeds. It's just the kind of man his boss is.

He stuffs their borrowed clothes into that bag as well, to _make_ it less questionable.

When all's good, Ryuuya drops Ren back off at the main building, then takes a real slow drive toward the gym again. It should be time.

Shining is seated on the waiting couch out near the front desk of the gym. It doesn't smell sweaty at all.

He gratefully returns the clothing to the manager, then goes back to greet his boss.

Saotome's chuckling to himself. He's been told about what transpired. But when Ryuuya faces him with his calm demeanor, Shining quits his laughter. His face grows stern instead.

He asks Ryuuya to pick the desired arena, knowing full well that the sensei scouted out the place beforehand.

A little scratch behind the ears— in truth, the younger man hadn't really decided yet. He points at the room with the blue mats near the rock-climbing section.

A boxing ring would've worked just as nice, but he hadn't had the time to familiarize himself with the gym's own gear. And if none of them worked well enough on him, it would jeopardize his chances in the fight. So he chooses the other one.

 _AS IF_ this was gonna be some private event— _no_. Ringo swings into the building not two minutes later, followed by Tomochika, Haruka, Syo, and Cecil. (The rest were busy.)

They all found out last minute, Ren excluded. It seems that Shining contacted them all individually, being absolutely sure to keep Ren unaware. Scheming, very clever.

He knows too well that what the redhead says might influence how the challenge proceeds. However, it's only a matter of time until he finds out. There was no mandate for secrecy.

They both get changed into suitable clothes. Tanktops and shorts—'cause it's hot in there. Bare feet, too.

He leaves his cellphone with Ringo, in case Ren tries contacting him. He starts preparing them in his head— the answers to all the questions he's gonna get hit with.

Shining and Ryuuya meet in the designated room. It's pretty spacious. One wall is covered by a huge mirror. The double-door entrance is wide open, letting their visitors watch freely.

He noticed it before, but couldn't place why— why the ceiling's so damn tall? It's about the same height as the open room next door, the one with wall-climbing.

The manager pops in for a second, telling them that the entire gym is theirs for the next two hours. He then presses a button on the wall. A dozen or so neon yellow climbing ropes of varying lengths fall from pockets in the ceiling.

 _Woah_ — a little wide-eyed moment, what's this— _what's this_? _Hah_... Interesting.

In their duel, however, the ropes have certain rules. They can be used to fly in the air, to travel, etc, but never to be used as a weapon. The combat is hand-to-hand freestyle. If someone falls subdued to the ground for over ten seconds, it equals to instant disqualification.

Shining hands his sunglasses over to Haruka, who blushes in response. Ryuuya hands his glasses over to Syo, who likewise blushes, then starts cheer him on already.

Ryuuya starts off a bit humble, but the atmosphere gets to him eventually. He's stoked, determined, but still anxious.

The two fighters do some safe stretching that lasts up to ten minutes. By then, their visitors left and brought back some chairs to sit on.

Tomochika opens her bag, pulling out a video camera. It's not everyday you get to see your teacher wrestle with your principal. Everyone else will want to see it too.

The manager comes back, alerting them that music will play in a minute.

"Music?? ? ?" Everyone asks it at once.

Shining is like _well duh_ , _yeah_ , we need some intense music to go with intense fighting.

It starts up, blaring - well - _intensely_ , something that would remind someone of chariots racing into the battlefield, or battalions meeting at first clash. So now it sounds like a movie set.

 _Just his domain_..

Ryuuya furrows his brows, getting into position.

Ringo hollers some words of encouragement.

The two give him their ' _I'm ready_ ' salutes. They put in their mouth guards.

Then Ringo puckers on a whistle, counting down with his fingers. ...6...5...4...3....2... 1... (INSERT LOUD WHISTLING NOISE.)

 


	13. A Booming Yell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood!!!

The cheering erupts.

Immediately, they pull themselves up into the air, securing grips and building a strategy for their maneuvers.

That takes a lot of upper body strength. Pulling crazy stunts is nothing short of a necessary requirement for his job, and he does most of the action work on set _himself_.

Shining, too.. is known to do dramatic things. It's very obvious to his first-hand witness.

They could be too evenly matched.

Ryuuya knows that he might get bruised in awful places. There was a warning about it too. But..it doesn't take much to knock a person out, so he's better off pouring most of his strength into defending himself as best as possible.

He wasn't ready for the first move. A punch flies to his face. He staggers back, dropping a few feet, then kicking clockwise upside down.

It hits Shining in the shin. There's an audible growl.

Each move flows where the last one ends. Bent at the waist, or straight up, they move at incredible speeds to swing the ropes like vines, flipping through the air at top speeds at alternating heights. It's a little dramatic.

They close in, Shining throws a kick— Ryuuya blocks it with his arm, and rips the headmaster off his balance.

The boss back-flips to stand his ground. He lands two feet on the mats, then jumps into the air again.

In no time, they're clashing once more. Shining's fist slams into Ryuuya's shoulder; he winces and falls back.

It feels like something popped. "Shit.."

They might both have knowledge of various fighting styles, but Saotome's is definitely more extensive.

The blow to his arm causes him to struggle on the ropes.

Shining's maniacal laughter echoes as he swings a half circle around the room to fly back and land a kick to his face. It whooshes past his nose when he ducks out just in time. Yikes!

He throws himself off, twisting like a spinning top through the air, catching the last rope at the farthest end of the room. At that moment, they both steadily climb back up the yellow cords, eyes unmoving from each other. Their expressions change fast from dead serious to mischievous and back.

There's no way this can last a whole two hours. Ryuuya needs to come up with a plan...and end it fast. The sake of Haruka's well-being, his relationship with Ren.. it all depends on this one chance to win.

He releases his grip on the rope, sliding back down to the ground.

" _Ssssff ahh_...."

Fresh abrasions on each of his palms.

"Tch."

He curls them into sturdy fists.

Shining is surprised, but unfazed— he takes the opportunity to close the distance and strike from above.

Ryuuya stays unmoving until the last possible second, music giving him strength. Then he jumps onto the rope and roundhouse kicks his opponent's leg away.

The sheer force has the rope swinging Saotome backwards. The headmaster drops to the floor on his butt. He gets up in a couple seconds, then hoists himself up to mimic his rival's pose.

Slowly, the two circle each other, slipping between the ropes, their distance growing smaller ...and smaller.. and smaller..

Their collision is swift and articulate!— a conflict of smashes, and hits, kicks, and misses. The two are close enough in range to share a few words, but Ryuuya has nothing to say.

But not Shining, and the mouth guard makes him sound weirder than usual— "IT PLEEEEEASHHES ME TO SEE YOUR MOTIVASHSHION. THAT SSHSHPIRIT LIGHTSSH LIKE A FLAME IN YOUR EYEZZZZSSH. DON'T DISHSHAPPOINT YOURSSHELF. BUAHAHAHAHA!!"

As if.

Sweat drips into Ryuuya's eyes. It stings. He doesn't stop. He clenches his teeth so hard, the mouth guard cuts through his gums. His mouth fills up with blood, the salty taste burning in his throat. Ryuuya hisses out a breath. He aims for Shining's face, throwing hard.

The little crowd is still bursting with excitement. Syo's going wild. Cecil is completely entranced. Haruka's nervous for both of them, and Tomochika's having a really good time, a light smile on her lips. Sure, yeah, they're both getting injured, but it's _fun_!

A phone rings— Ryuuya's mobile to be specific. A slightly distressed Ringo walks away to pick up. "Hello? Ah, Ren-chan!"

"Ah..ahah. Yes! Oh. Well, you see.... that is.."

The battle goes on fiercely, but signs of fatigue begin to surface. Their moves are significantly slower, their senses dulling.

Ryuuya and Shining twist back up into the air. Each have a few limps of their own, but manage somehow. Attacks are sparser. Moves mostly comprise of falling back and re-gathering energy.

In a minute, their momentum picks up again. The spar promotes a new rhythm, each of them more familiar to the other's style. Like a brilliant flash— suddenly, a strategy webs together like thoughts of a puzzle piecing together perfectly. It's—

In the midst of his idea, Shining thwacks the other actor's face with a wallop, perforating knuckles deep into the cheek. His neck cracks, face flying to the side— Ryuuya's mouth explodes with more blood, his upper left cheek blossoming a mountainous red bruise. That stuns him instantly, his body fighting to release the ropes clutched in both hands.

Shining is relentless. In an instant, a drop kick indents him in the forehead.

One rope is released.

He swings backwards, half his body hanging down. Something wet trickles down his forehead.

 _Fuck_ —!!

He drops himself from the rope, landing on his feet. A tactical retreat, the teacher sprints way back to the end of the room. If Shining followed, he could easily kick him down. But he doesn't.

When Ryuuya turns around questioningly, the boss is tangling in the ropes on the opposite side of the room. So.. relentless..but also merciful.

He hops onto a new rope before he's disqualified.

A sweaty arm wipes across his forehead. Shit—no, wrong move, that stings, that stings!! His arm comes back smeared in blood.The pain is starting to set in. A pounding headache emerges, and blood dribbles down his chin. He spits red onto the mat.

Ryuuya sways on the cord, jumping to the next. Shining closes in on him, he seems about done with this— ready to finish their struggle with a final move.

The headmaster's been saving energy, pulling back after that last big attack— giving Ryuuya the same time to recuperate and marinate in the near imminence of defeat. That kind of psychiatric trickery's still not going to work though.

In a second.. it's so precise.

Shining goes for the win.

He wants to flinch, to retreat. It's terrifying. Half blinded by blood and sweat in his eyes, and heart pounding loudly in his ears, it's hard to breathe. But in the same exact second, it's now or never.

He pushes off the little twist of cord around his foot, jumping several feet high— does the splits midair, and avoids the boss' slash, his arms shaking in sheer strain from supporting his own weight for so long.

Saotome's taken back by this.

Ryuuya's adrenaline fire doesn't stop, and it all happens in quick instant. The splits turns into a barely supported mid-air hand stand, that in turn becomes a shoddy back-flip, from which the stick-straight ton of his rock-hard legs slam down hard onto Shining's upraised hands.

There's a cracking sound—a booming yell. Then his eyesight goes completely.

Something hits the floor.

Oh shit.. he's feeling.. f-...faint...... (Instant darkness.) (Sound of him KAPLONKing to da floor.) (Someone screams for help, while another frantically calls for an ambulance.)

The sound of a siren wails nearby. The cool night air softly pats his face. Ryuuya regains consciousness in a hospital bed.

He doesn't feel any pain, medication dripping into him. He sits up, groaning about his back. Well, that's one thing that never changes.

Ren pops his head into the room, doe-eyes wide. Before Ryuuya can react, Ren disappears again, then comes back a minute later. (He had to notify Ringo.)

The redhead pops a seat at his bedside, opening a water bottle. He takes a swig, then hands it over.

"Indirect kiss." He's being unusually quiet.

Ryuuya's extremely wary at this point, like, _why_ is he not getting in shit? Ren's too calm for this. Uhm.

He takes a drink. Tastes like blood.

Ringo walks in, nagging him the second he does. A roll of the eyes— He chucks the bottle cap at his wig-less colleague, laughing at his aggravated reaction.

With puffed cheeks, Ringo explains that Ren knows all about 'the big fight', now having been filled in by both himself and the boss— who's incidentally resting one room over.

Shining pulled some favours so that Ren and Ringo could stay with them. Usually visitors at this hour is a big _no_. Though STARISH and the rest were left behind, they'll visit later— or so Ren guesses.

Ryuuya has no intention of staying too long. He looks at the clock. It's 12 AM, Sunday.

He asks about his condition. Also that of Saotome's.

Ryuuya only has some cuts and bruises that'll go away in time. Shining, however, has a few broken fingers, and some of them sprained. He nearly spits his drink.

"A lot more time for him then.." he jokes.

Ringo sighs, shakin' his head as he leaves. He's so done with Ryuuya.

A deafening silence washes over them both. He expects to be shit on, not terribly, but rightfully. _Some more frightening silence_.

"Idiot.."

Huh?

Ren sniffles, his eyes red. He rubs one, a free tear sliding down the other cheek.

"Ren."

"No!"

Teeth clenched, a hand goes up to stop him from replying. He gets up to blow his nose, then sits down again.

Deep breath.

 _Okay_.

After some talking, Ryuuya realizes that Ren's not mad about the fight. He can trust his partner to take care of himself, but what really ticks him off is all the lying and secrecy. And a bit of the bruising too.

Then finding out that his own condition before was related to an _enchanted flower_ , well— you have to admit, that's a bit too much in one sitting. And yet it made sense over all, and through the terrible possibility of it never getting resolved, he still feels tremendously relieved for being informed.

But here it comes.

Ryuuya doesn't want to hear it.

It comes anyway.

"I'm not letting you go tomorrow."

Ryuuya tries to speak up, but is interrupted.

"I'll go—" Ren starts again.

Ryuuya intervenes finally, not allowing him to finish that. "You're not going anywhere."

It's a stern voice, _commanding_ , with no room for negotiation. He still doesn't even know if he actually won.

The beat-up actor finally finishes the missing parts of the tale, that on the final day of the legend— Sunday, the volcano will burst and overflow at some undetermined time. It's just way too dangerous for Ren to take his place.

But Ren uses that argument against him— _it's dangerous_ —further solidifying that the whole thing is a bad idea anyway, and that they should look for another way.

They argue for a bit, but stop when Ryuuya complains about a migraine. Despite their differences in opinion, Ren remains gentle. He kisses him on the nose, Ryuuya's lips being cracked, then leaves for the night.

On the way out, Ren tells Ringo to make sure Ryuuya stays, but the sensei doesn't respond.

After the idol's gone, the pink-haired man informs his friend that a chopper will be waiting for him on the agency roof at 12 PM noon. He advises him to use the time in-between to get some good rest.

Ryuuya gives him a hopeful, questioning look.

Ah— his friend explains. After the match, they both fell to the floor and didn't get up before the ten second elimination. The only difference is a single second, Shining having fallen first. By default, Ryuuya is the winner.


	14. Get to the Chopper!

After a couple hours of stretching and walking, he safely regains the feeling in his limbs. It's less stiff..not that painful. Except when pressing too hard on his bruises. His cheek's swollen and purple, with blood dried to his bottom lip. And the doctor helped pop his shoulder back into place. He's gonna need a chiropractor after all this. Damn it, Shining.

Ah, but Saotome is in a worse condition. He has his hands completely bandaged up, hanging up in the air.

During his visit to the boss' room, the older gentleman supplies him with additional details for the trip. He permits Ryuuya the keys to his office— to retrieve Muse's rose, of course. Then adds, finally, that _the_ _song_ will spread through the airwaves at sundown.

"Make sure to keep a rrradio with you. Do not miss that glorrrious moment!"

Shining's still doubtful about the plan, but stays hopeful. He flashes his signature grin. There's not much else he can do.

Ringo returns, settling papers and release forms in his stead. Despite there being nurses, Ryuuya makes Ringo help him— as his personal slave. Yet somehow he doesn't mind. Play-pretending nurse is fun.

During lunch, Ryuuya makes gross faces at the hospital food. In sympathy, the pink-haired idol fetches him some real food from a deli a few streets away. That appeases his mood. Then the clock strikes 12PM.

Now, he's about ready to be discharged. Ren's supposed to visit in half an hour, that's what his text said. He should be finishing a job.

Unfortunately, meeting him now would ruin his plan, his best chance to fix everything. And right after being confronted about lies and deception, it's going to happen yet again? But Ren will understand...someday...maybe.. So there's no wasting this opportunity. That's what he decided. It's hard to do, but he doesn't respond.

Ringo drives him back to the apartment. He messages Ren through Ringo's phone, trying to impersonate him, while the real one drives. He attempts to scout information on Ren's whereabouts. It would be bad if they bumped into each other. Luckily, the idol's on his way to the hospital while they continue to move the other way.

He feels horrible. His mind starts thinking of ways to make up for it. He uses his fingers to count. At least three dinner dates... maybe seven.

They make it. He hurriedly packs up some things. Important travelling documents, a first aid kit, a change of clothes, the works. Then Ryuuya takes a quick shower while Ringo stands guard in the foyer.

A few minutes in.. _Riing riiing_ — incoming text. It's Ren, worried, stumped about his boyfriend's disappearance. The messages keep coming in, each progressively more disturbed and upset. He really doesn't want Ryuuya to go, it's too risky. He even tries coming up with new theories to help, but Ringo knows that Ryuuya's indefinitely made up his mind.

Ringo slides down the hall, slamming fists on the bathroom door. They gotta go. Ren's surely guessed that they're at the apartment. The two bolt out of there, with Ryuuya's hair still sopping wet.

They drive to the agency, passing a red light in the panic. But hallelujah, no one stops them. The alarm heightens when Ren's car is spotted in a lane somewhere not too far. Fortunately, they pass unnoticed.

A chopper lands on the roof as they pull in, the trees shaking and leaves rattling.

Ryuuya passes a pair of keys to Ringo. "Give that to Ren. It's for my car, I left it at the gym."

Ringo nods like _yessir_.

He jumps out and makes a break for it, swinging the knapsack over his back. He turns back fast, and waves like a maniac.

Ringo sticks his head out of the window, waving back. "Do your best!!!"

On the climb up to the roof, Ryuuya tightens his grip on the vase. Gotta keep it safe. It's the right flower too. The roses aren't exactly identical— aside from colour.

Someone greets him at the rooftop entrance. He's briefed by standard security measures then helped aboard. Ryuuya gets a backseat near a rear window.

With the flower cradled in his arms, he gives his ready _ok_ sign.

After fifteen minutes of preparation, they lift off. Their speed will take them about three, maybe three and a _half_ hours to get there.

His phone's turned off, but he starts it up again. It buzzes incessantly. They're just leftover texts from when he wasn't at the hospital. Ringo must be getting the shit of it right now.

Already, Ren should be aware of the apartment having been used...and that he's avoiding him. His gut twists in wrenching guilt.

Ryuuya sends one simple message, but it conveys a lot.

{{ i love you. }}

He tries closing it, but something stops him. He sends another.

{{ you can punish me later. }}

Hopefully that can help to diffuse the tension. He shuts it down before a reply can come, then holds on tight. The ride is choppy one.

At the apartment, Ren groans in exasperation, his hand landing across his forehead. He cannot deal with this.

Wet footprints everywhere, a towel on the floor. Clear signs that Ryuuya was there.

He resigns in frustration.

 _Bzzzzt_ —!!

Hands have never grabbed that phone so fast. He reads the message.

 _Bzzzzt_ —!!

Another one comes in. He reads, then re-reads and re-reads them again.

Ren sends back a lengthy text, his fingers working double time. He makes a cranky scowl, then scrolls back up; it wasn't seen. The teen tries to calm down, deep breaths— He checks back again, and again in a few minutes. _Still not read_. Ryuuya's phone is likely off.

Before he knows it, there's a duffel bag in his hands. He pauses. _No_. He drops it. Too big to carry.

The teen heads back out en route for the agency. That's the final place he could be, but Ren's sure that Ryuuya's gone.

A figure waves at him as he pulls up. Ah, of course. Ringo waits on the steps, tossing Ryuuya's car keys to him as he draws close.

en's aggravated and desperate, but doesn't want to show it. He asks if there's a way of going after him, any possibility at all. He's still injured, after all, and what if he collapses? What if the volcano explodes at him—?!

The teacher laughs shakily, like _'m sorry m'dear but_...

It seems that Ringo's nervous as well.

"Anything is possible." It's Cecil, suddenly appearing at the doorway. "Another chopper was prepared. With one call, it could be on its way right now."

They both look back, astonished.

"Hyuuga told me some things. And Saotome as well— I think he predicted this. I can help you."

When Ryuuya and Cecil had their little chat outside the cafeteria, it was only natural that hidden cameras and mics made their little conversation known to the principal. And the man thought it might be a brilliant idea to lay some extra countermeasures just in case the situation went one way or another. That's why he let the young prince in on a few things later that day, trusting him and only him for the sake of his plan.

The three wait impatiently inside the building.

Ringo whines, biting on his shirt in nervous anticipation. " _Gnaaaa_ ~aa!!!"

Meanwhile, Ren leans against the wall with a dead stillness.

The secretary with the task of alerting the second chopper makes the special call at Cecil's demand. With the circumstances being urgent, they also demand a step on it. In less than fifteen minutes, a chopper's chopping on the roof.

Ringo needs to stay behind. He sees them off by the final stairwell.

Their depart passes in a whirlwind of confusion. With Ren and Cecil strapped in, the flight takes off only an hour behind Ryuuya.

Halfway through the ride, the second pilot turns around and gives them a second briefing. He passes out helmets, explaining the presence of suits and parachutes beneath each chair.

Ren almost snaps his neck while looking up, horror rearranging his face like _CAN YOu say that again_?!

Cecil looks uneasy. "Auhh.." But in a fit of determination, he grabs the band mate's hands into his own. "Don't worry! I've done this once! You'll see.. it's only scary until you hit the ground." But that doesn't help a bit.

Ren tries to negotiate, his husky voice distraught with fear. Cecil joins in too, inquiring why they can't just land the normal way.

The pilot guys sigh like they've explained this a million times that year. The designated landing spot for helicopters and planes is on the other side of the island, about a twenty-five minute walk from the resort part— and completely opposite of the volcano. By parachuting, they'll save time— and the boys are supposedly in a hurry, so?

A bunch of nervous glances dart back and forth between them. There's a bit of reluctance..but then furrowed brows, and a deep resignation.

Simultaneously they nod. "OK!!"


	15. Blackout

The sound of the noisy chopper intensifies as its speed slows. They've arrived. The copter hovers just above the island, circling for a landing place.

The bright red sheet of a flat parachute is spotted just off near the volcano's surrounding region. Ryuuya must've landed there on the mountain. They'll do just that as well. Ren requests they land in that direction.

When they're ready, the pit of their stomachs drop the thousand feet before the rest of them do.

They put their helmets on, and slip on their skydiving suits. They decide to go together, Ren holding onto Cecil's back. Strapped together, they're just about ready. The jump— not so ready for that yet. _Gulp x2_.

Time's running out though. They're nearing the spot. The pilots can't keep circling. They go for it.

Eyes squeeze shut. Heave! Cecil and Ren drop, screaming into the sky.

The teacher, meanwhile, struggles in his trek up the volcano. He follows the same path Shining led them through the first time. But his wounds are sore, cuts tinging, swelling, infected by the dirty air.

"Ggkk..." One hand firmly tightens around the vase. He had it drained and wrapped up carefully for the fall.

Much time was saved for dropping halfway up the base.

His face and skin is already covered in soot. Ash flies through the air, the volcanic gas shooting from the peak.

He's sweating. It's hard to breathe too. And it's hot... hot, hot, hot.. Almost there...

He looks up, peering at the sky. Another chopper's....there. Something drops from the copter. In a few seconds, a parachute flies up. Is that Raging Otori?

"Sshhhttt.." Damnit, not now!

All the more reason to move faster. Furiously, he pushes through the pain. Mere minutes until he reaches the mouth.

Ren's hair streams up all around him. By now the screaming's stopped. Neither can hear each other anyway, ears blocked by the rushing air.

Cecil points to the volcano. A cloud of black erupts from the surface. That doesn't look good. Ren bites his lip, his stomach flipping in fear and paranoia.

The wind pushes them to and fro, delaying a steady fall. Why now of all times for the wind to pick up?! A freak gust veers them off course.

"No! No! No! No! No! Shit! No!" They shout their frustrations at once, but neither can heard over the atmospheric pressure.

Ryuuya's whole body forms a reaction to the intense heat. The sound of gurgling magma is loud and clear. It's nothing like standing next to a furnace.

His skin feels like it's on fire. The moisture dries away from him, his lips cracking further. He feels faint, dizzy. It's not impossible to have a heat stroke. He takes care not to fall in.. that would be the end of it all.

Vibrant orange liquid bubbles and hisses, clouds of smoke and gas rising from the rupture. Breathing is hardly an option right now. He was drawing in little air already, but now hardly inhaling.

He covers half his face in the crook of an arm. The flower, surprisingly, hasn't wilted. Well.. it's magical. His hand burns against the vase too-- it's plastic after all.

Each step closer is like walking straight into an inferno. The soles of his shoes are half melted, making sticky noises against the rock. Ryuuya also believes himself to be burned several places.

This is it. It's end-game. He pulls the flower out of the vase, chucking the rest, and finally uncovers his mouth.

"Your Greatness..?" His voice is low, barely audible to himself against the heated boil.

"I don't know if you can hear me.. I'm flattered!—That you liked my song.. But a lot of people got hurt because of what you did.. So please take back the spell, or enchantment, whatever curse this is. The love I wrote about can't be stolen, that's-- that's what makes it love. So please..—" An instant fit of coughing.

His eyes tear up from the noxious fumes. He can barely keep them open any longer.

"Please don't hurt hurt the girl anymore, Ren neither. Go back to watchnnggf--" He chokes on a long, dry, suffocating cough. "—w-watching over us, our music. ..Their music!"

A small, low rumble erupts deep from within the volcano's core. He has to finish this now.

"You can't possess love, Muse! It's like a flower. You pluck it from the roots, it eventually dies. You must let it continue to grow!"

In one fluid motion, he tosses the rose into the mouth as far as it can go. In the slick of a second, he's on his sticky heels running back down the slope of the volcano. All of that anticipation built up to this explosion of adrenaline. There's no room to think, he's running on pure survival instinct now. The air gets colder, clearer as he speeds away. It feels akin to flying.

Cecil chants a string of words in his Agna-language. A glowing green aura surrounds each of them and their parachute.

"Think about where we need to land! Will it with your thoughts!" The orders are clear.

Ren forces the matter with his mind, while tightening the hold around his band-mate's chest. Everything is frightening and fast. They're going against nature right now, the wind phasing straight through them. Ren thinks fast.

"Right where Ryuuya-sensei landed!"

Suddenly—!! A fierce shock.

Rumbling and grumbling booms from beneath them, the mountain trembling, the trees below shaking. A huge mushroom cloud of black ash explodes out the opening, sparks of rock and fire flying in all directions. A steady flow of lava begins to spill over.

Panic stirs. Both at once, they yell their teacher's name.

Tears sting in Ren's eyes. _H-He has to be okay_!!

As they grow nearer, the two understand that landing there is no longer safe. They swing in their harnesses, uneasy. Still, Ren begs Cecil to persist, and he does anyway— "Look!"

The prince points back to Ryuuya's landing place. A small figure runs past the fallen parachute that moment.

Quick thinking— "Ceci! Can we..?!"

Everything is blurry in Ryuuya's vision. He feels half charred. His legs, numb. Feet, ripped and sore. And he's sure of it— that shaking and rumbling, the burst of something shooting out the volcano..! It must be overflowing!

A simmering, seething sound catches up behind him. The lava could be at his very heels, he wouldn't know. Ryuuya's life is at stake. He persists on, hoping..!

Then a giant shadow casts over him. He hasn't the time to question it, nor to look up. The man keeps running, as fast as his limbs can take him. But strong hands grip him fast by the clothing, then a sturdier hold forms under his arms. His feet lifts off the ground, but his legs continue to move.

Only after the initial shock and upon realizing does his body go limp. Consumed by exhaustion, the teacher loses consciousness in Cecil's arms.

The brunet doesn't hesitate. In a raspy voice, he screams. "Ren!!! Will it with your...!!!"

The sheer force of movement could've snapped his neck. Ren's frazzled brain works desperately to pinpoint the first place in his sight. He thinks—he thinks _hard_. That area in his vision, the feeling of safety, of hope. It brainwashes him til those are the only things he knows. If their lives depend on it, he exists only to think of that spot.

The cat prince catches his direction. "Yes, there!!"

Cecil's magic activates again, the green light intensifying. Beams of green bounce off them, flying back like a push of wind propelling their parachute deeper into the island.

The paralyzing stun of danger is too eager to cling to them, their heart rates threatening to plummet, though they're well headed to safety. They hover mere feet above the colossal resort pool, slowly descending. Cecil drops Ryuuya into the water.

SPLOSHH!!!

He immediately struggles, throwing off his helmet, trying to detangle himself from the harness. In mere seconds, Cecil falls into the pool.

Ren snaps out of it and tries to follow suit, but his body's stuck. He chucks the helmet off onto a nearby table. The parachute finally lands in the pool, deflating. It covers Ren as he sinks to the bottom, unable to move fast for fatigue and lack of air.

He slips his gloves off, and frantically pulls on the straps and buckles. The teen tries to stand up, but the level's too deep. He sinks and then kicks off from the bottom, breaking surface for a split second, but his lungs are too heavy.

He gasps and chokes. The heavy wet parachute weighs him down again, plunging him back underwater. This makes his art rate shoot up through the roof. He's scared.. Is this the end?

His throat continues to burn, head feeling light. His chest feels like it's imploding, rib cage collapsing in on itself. His body fights to breathe in, but he won't let himself inhale water, absolutely won't!

..Vision blurry. Consciousness slowly slipping away... _Ah_.. _Is this drowning_..?

A piercing pain on his wrist— fingers dig into flesh. Someone is pulling him. A spark of hope! But _trying_ to pull.. The grip releases. His arm floats back down.

Now even his heart sinks with the rest of him. .. _No_.. _no, don't go_ —!

Ren feels himself losing... There's a fleeting memory of Ryuuya's smile.

Blackout.


	16. It's Bad News

—Cough, COUGH, COUGH, COUGH, cough, cough, COUGH, cough— Ren rolls over, inhaling deeply, desperately.

He gets on his knees, arms wrapped 'round his stomach, all the while Cecil slaps his back repeatedly.

 _Wh_..? ..

"You gave me quite a scare there!"

Ren just nods over and over again, shaking in shock.

"I would do some more safety procedures, but I need to alert our pilots on the other side of the island. We need help and medical supplies. I'm going to look for a phone!"

Right..the mobiles in their pockets must be broken..

The prince's tone heightens in a panic. "I just pulled Hyuuga out of the water when I didn't see you come up. I need to go, so hurry up and check if he's breathing!"

Cecil clambers away as Ren's head whips around in a flash. He's going to get whiplash if he keeps that up.

Ryuuya's body looks mangled and burnt. It twists his insides. He hastily crawls over to his boyfriend, tilting his head back. Ignoring the cuts and bruises, and his skin covered in ash, he just listens... Listening frantically.. please.. please..!

Not a sound stirs. Breath doesn't tickle his ear. He can't see out of the tears streaming from his eyes.

His hands move around the pavement for anything in the way. The quick deduction shows it's safe to proceed. Tilting Ryuuya's head, he takes a deep breath and exhales it into his mouth. He leans over the body, the palm of his hand searching.

—..28...29..—!!

Thirty compressions hit the spot. Another breath! More chest pumping. Through the pain of fear and despair, he manages the flow of a steady rhythm.

"Ryuu—ya.." His lips taste like soot and dry blood.

\----19...20...21..!!

Resuscitation drains a lot out of him.. ..getting tired. They're freezing and wet, but he doesn't slow down for a second.

"Ryuuya!"

His breaths of life get bigger and deeper. They make him lightheaded.

".. Ry— Ryuu.."

A small cough. Course grunt. Then a chain of hacking and yacking explodes out of Ryuuya.

Ren lifts his hands away, stunned and wide-eyed. In a flat second, the teen struggles to pull him up. He calls his name over and over, asking if anything hurts.

Ryuuya turns to his side, throwing up some water and bile. His hand flies to his head. He has a major pounding pain.

He just concentrates on breathing, lowering his head to rest on Ren's chest. The idol wraps both arms around him tightly, shaking and crying.

Cecil comes running back, assessing the situation before him, then lets out a huge sigh of relief. The younger boy tosses them a first aid box, and eyes unblinking, he calls their attention.

"I don't know how to contact the pilots!" _You had one job._

Still, he continues— the place seems deserted. No caretakers around. Shining's special police force are nowhere to be found. He suspects Raging Otori behind that somehow. Nevertheless, Cecil claims the only option left is to reach the other side of the island and seek them out himself. He volunteers, being the most able-bodied.

While the prince runs off again, Ren hurriedly takes the box into his hands. Sniffling, he promises Ryuuya to fix him up. He unclasps the box and sets it next to them.

A cold, dirty, shaking hand reaches up to cup Ren's face. He looks down, tears falling over Ryuuya's cheeks.

In a hushed voice, Ryuuya whispers. "Your nose is running."

He manages, using chlorine water, to clean off most of Ryuuya's wounds (at least temporarily). Cotton swabs dab away any fresh blood. None of his cuts seem too deep. A sigh of relief— for no sewing is necessary. His skin's too dirty to place any decent gauze and bandaging. Before they seek out real medical treatment, he wants to be of actual help in the meanwhile.

Ren packs up. New plan.

The island hotel is about two pools and a little walk away.

It takes a good bit of time regaining strength before Ryuuya can stand up again, using Ren's shoulder for support. They limp over there, step by step, slowly but surely. The walk is quiet. There's just the sound of strained breathing and wet shoes slapping the pavement.

Every so often Ren looks back at the volcano. Ash in the air slowly disperses, the black cloud merely gray now. Remaining streams of lava gleam intensely. For the most part, the eruption stayed contained to that side of the island. The forest looks untouched from where he's standing. Well, that's the least of his concerns at the moment.

The hotel lobby hits them with an unexpected impact of cold air. Of course— air conditioning! Ren leaves Ryuuya clinging at the entrance.

He scrambles around for a towel, quickly found at the back of the reception desk. After laying it down on a couch, he swiftly moves his sweetie there to rest.

Ren sets the box on the table before them. The rest is whimpers and stifled gasps as the teen cleans his major wounds with fresh water and antiseptic. The soles of his feet are slightly burnt too. Everything big gets bandaged neatly, and a damp cloth wipes away the residue soot without irritating the minor burns.

Ryuuya's melted shoes are trashed. They find some spare clothes at the gift shop (Agency logo and tropical motif all over the place).

Ren helps him get dressed. It's a slow process.

After finally settling, Ryuuya's too sore to stand up again. He just crosses fingers that no one will choose to walk in on them now. Not that anyone's around. Which they both find exceptionally strange.

The phone lines are working perfectly. Ren dials— aaand Ringo promptly answers. He has to pull the phone down to avoid ear damage. His pain is making him sensitive to sound, and the teacher's frightened tone isn't helping.

Ringo's playing Shining's personal liaison over the weekend. The teacher sounds restless, his voice fidgety, like he may be hiding something. Yet the apple pie desperately inquires about their mission.

Ren can't explain it very well. He's still shaken up from the whole ordeal. The redhead gives general details like the volcano erupting— but everyone being safe, the mysterious lack of personnel, etc. The seriousness of Ryuuya's condition isn't underestimated, however.

Through horrified reactions, Ringo brings his side of the phone to Shining. Things are revealed one after the other.

Shining tells them the good news first. He notifies them that he called the island workers back as a safety precaution. The eruption is no minor thing regardless of how much it doesn't affect the habitable parts of the island. A major part of the task force was also recovered, with only a few guards left behind to patrol the beaches and landing zone. Mainly because he wanted help available in any emergency, but mostly to keep Raging out of their way.

He received word that the rival CEO did make his appearance already, but that he was detained just minutes before their call. Apparently a stealthy cat-like Cecil caught him sneaking around and alerted the authorities stationed nearby. He's currently waiting for his own copter to pick him up. They can't press charges for reasons, but Shining admits that the defeat was more than enough to have him retreat for at least another 14 years.

Onto the bad news, he warns them in advance. He has to enunciate it slowly and clearly. Things are hectic over there, and only Shining is capable of staying calm in the adversity. But before he can get out another word, the room fills with a static noise.

Ryuuya has the little radio turned on. He places it in his lap, switching the channels, volume is full blast.

Ren nearly falls back against the wall, cringing in the agony. He grimaces at Ryuuya through the pain of his new headache.

Shining calls out for his attention again.

Ryuuya adjusts the sound, allowing Ren to recover. He heaves his upper body over the counter, dangling his arm over the edge.

He puts the phone back in his ear, "Please.. continue..."

But he doesn't get to continue. What sounds like Ringo's muffled screams calls for the headmaster's attention. And the station Ryuuya chooses gets Ren distracting as well.

< _And now, the first ever release of the single One Orange Rose written by Saotome Agency's famous actor Ryuuya Hyuuga, performed by newcomer Tomochika Shibuya. The song is said to have been written and produced in under two weeks, people! Shibuya is the winner of that competition we briefed you about earlier in the week. Here it is, folks - your first listen. One Orange Rose._ >

The song is superbly unreal. It's spine-tingling. Ren notes the goose flesh on his back, as he stands back up again, slowly turning around. He silently mouths the first few verses in secret.

But Ryuuya's face is only slightly moved, not overly impressed. He's heard it before, of course. During the recording. It's a nice rendition, but not a total representation of his original idea. And yet, he still believes it to be the best possible interpretation. Y'know, in a situation where the singer _isn't_ Ren.

His curiosity piqued, he fishes for Ren's reaction. But Ren's ear is glued the phone again, the boy's pale face merely staring out blankly.

"...Yessir..." After hanging up, Ren stares at Ryuuya for a long time before answering his visible concern. He topples down to the floor.

Ryuuya tries to get up to help him, but the teen shoots back up again, although with a struggle. Slowly walking forward, he falls down into the seat next to him. And with a deep breath, Ren covers his forehead.

Witness reports claim that Haruka, after-which having lost the ability to think and speak rationally, made an assumed attempt to end her life by jumping off the two story building she was meant to meet her friends at. The early arrival of Natsuki luckily spared her any harm when she coincidentally fell into his arms.

She's been hospitalized, but with the other boys kept necessarily unaware thanks to Ringo's quick interception. Natsuki's with them and due to undergo some hypnosis by way of headmaster's shenanigans. The agency wants to cover it up before it becomes a scandal, but it's mainly to keep everyone safe from the unwanted mental trauma.

There are surely some magical forces about, and Shining is putting all his faith into them to get this resolved before things escalate any further.

Even the headmaster has a good idea of what happened on the island, but he wants to confirm. So Ren finally asks Ryuuya the question that plagued him for the long hours.

"Did you..?" It's pointless to ask, with the answer as clear as day.

It seems that Muse's response to Ryuuya's actions have already transpired.

The actor hasn't spoken much at all since being rescued, but there's even less to say now when he bends over his hands. In a second, the grown man begins to sob uncontrollably.

Loud, wailing sobs ripple across the room. His whole body shakes and quivers. The crying intensifies as Ryuuya stutters and blubbers incoherent things into his bandaged hands. Thinking himself a failure, guilt and self-hatred consumes his being.

The tense atmosphere is infectious. Ren finds his vision blurry, cheeks dripping wet. He thought he'd already cried himself dry.

No amount of physical comforting is enough, and Ren's arm eventually gets shaken off. Horrified by Ryuuya's response and yet his total understanding of it, Ren hastily runs over to the phone again. He clutches his heart and slips down the wall, tears falling to the floor. Is everything for naught..? Is everything over? Is there no hope? He dials the number again..desperate..searching for something to believe in.

Ringo answers the phone again. But instead of finding faith, he finds more tragedy. He's lucky that his call even got through. About forty more people tried to call Shining in the last few minutes, and none of them offering a congratulations.

One after the other, mysterious incidents come up— the company's shares are suddenly worthless, they've all gone into unimaginable debt— there are reports of idols' twitters getting randomly deleted, singers and actors are calling to quit the agency— warehouses storing instruments are spontaneously combusting into flames, etc.

He hangs up fast. It's a defense mechanism, as the pain of his mind ripping in half is too much to bear. He sits in stunned silence for several minutes. There's absolutely no way of breaking this to Ryuuya.

He can't bring himself to look at the teacher.. _He_ couldn't handle it right now. —Then...out of nowhere... he slaps the ground, digging his fingernails into the hard marble floor. Anything to feel _something_ at this point, or to emulate a grasp over SOMETHING. But it's a complete flub, and he helps himself up.

He steadies himself with the counter. A look in Ryuuya's direction shows that the crying hasn't stopped. Was their world really falling apart? Were their dreams crashing and burning this very second? Would all their lives continue to be in danger?

He nearly trips over himself trying to get to the door. His hand presses against the cool glass. His face obscured by fallen fringe, he watches Ryuuya's arched body in the reflection.

"..."

The numb shock begins to boil into pure rage. A determined energy fires up in his eyes, the pit of his stomach heated with the blaze of courage.

With a force, the door swings open and he thrusts himself outdoors. Not a single look back. His mind is made up. Somehow— someway— something is going to be done. Right now. He doesn't care if he has to scream for the intangible presence to notice him. He's willing to try anything for the sake of restoring any part of peace and safety back to their lives.


	17. Song for a Goddess' Mercy

Ren turns a corner— a headfirst collision with someone!! They both stumble back.

"Ceci!" he evokes the long-time nickname.

There lays the cat prince rubbing his head on the floor. But..how did he get back so fast?!

Cecil hesitates before getting up to explain. The remaining police squad have a couple tram cars to get around the island. It cut his travelling time down to a third of the time.

It's true, Ren sees them not too far off, circling around a few huts.

But the prince's real purpose for hurrying was to alarm Ren of the disasters unfolding back in Japan. They got radio'd minutes after capturing Otori.

The redhead firmly holds his shoulders to calm him down, assuring him through a strangled voice that they're already aware of it. (In truth, just himself...)

Ren still relays of all the information Shining told him— as well as an update on Ryuuya's state. Well, almost everything. He couldn't bring up Haruka.. not just yet. And from the lack of emotion on the younger teen's face, he could tell Cecil was blissfully unaware.

Before they bring up anything else, Ren fervently insists on Cecil's help. They need to contact Muse, somehow.. and find a way to end this for real. It's their last chance.

The shorter teen leads him to a storage locker next to the island's open stage.

"If you want to call the Goddess' attention, you must use Her language."

He uses his magic to break the lock, the door swinging open. There, collectively organized inside, is a stock of encased instruments, amplifiers, microphones, stage lights, etc.

Ren picks up a guitar case. He turns to Cecil, an idea sparking to life, and his words, “You must use Her language” starting to make sense.

Music!

The first sign of hope. But not with a breath of relief, not just yet.

He shades his eyes from the changing angle of the sun. It's setting fast. Ren convinces Cecil to help him.

The prince tunes up the instrument while the other teen sets up the amps and mics to the best of his knowledge about them. They work hard, nervously fidgeting, sweating pools of doubt.

Cecil sneezes.

It's true, his clothes are still wet.. The concerned Ren orders him to find dry clothes at the gift shop. He promises to take care of the rest on his own.

Cecil scrambles into the lobby at top speed, slamming his shoulder on the glass door as he enters.

"Hyuuga-sensei!"

He spots the bandaged up Ryuuya staring down blankly at a radio in his lap. It's spewing a horrified newscast about the downfall of Saotome Agency and all of its assets and affiliation losses.

< _Luckily no lives were taken in the fires, although many of their buildings sustained a lot of damage. Firefighters and police all over the city are crowding to help and investigate the shocking occurrence._ >

He slowly shuffles toward backdoor. The teacher doesn't even notice him..? It's strange..and unsettling.

Cecil hurries back, this time observed by the former idol. Ryuuya's a little confused, but he scans around quickly— as if suddenly realizing, and worriedly asks about Ren.

Cecil simply stares at him for a while before answering. "He's outside with me."

The teacher just nods to that.

After returning, Cecil solidifies his determination to reverse the tragedies. Something about the way his sensei looked void of life triggered a response in him.

Night is almost upon them, the edges of the sky already dark, the faint twinkling of stars noticeable.

The prince goes backstage, fiddling with wires and buttons at a booth. In response, tiny white lights turn on around the stage and the seating area. Another switch activates— the stage is engulfed in rays of blue and green, pink and orange.

Ren drags a stool and a guitar to the center. He takes a seat in front of the mic, leaning down for a bit, staring down at his feet. Inhale— _exhale_. Then he musses up his hair, tousling the red locks back into place, and slaps his cheeks to stay alert.

A solemn nod to Cecil peering out from behind the curtains garners a nod in response and a quick disappearance.

He sighs again. It echoes in the night. Everything is set.

::FLASHBACK::  
It's a time _days_ before, when only Ren is present at the apartment. He's just lingering around, moping about the odd state of his behaviour and feelings, when his attention catches on the envelope— the one given to Ryuuya.

It lays there on the counter, totally inviting. Y'know, the one containing the revised and edited lyrics of his song.

Ren doesn't think there is anything wrong with taking a look. He picks it up, sorts through its papers.. _fairly amazing_ , that much is true. But another paper falls from underneath the pile.

He picks it up. It's the original version, a copied print of the actual paper used during Saotome's weird ceremony.

Something about it is charming, it draws the corners of his mouth up just a bit. He takes snapshots of each side with his phone. There's no harm in that, obviously, it is _in fact_ dedicated to him. But anything that makes him feel at this point is a treasure, so he makes it his - if only digitally.  
::END FLASHBACK::

Ren gives the acoustic a casual strum. The varied strings of sound relay a beautiful harmony that washes over the whole island.

Cecil walks back out from below the stage. He waves at some of the guards.

They meet up, and stay behind the spectators area, apparently discussing some important things— The prince has to justify Ren's plan, or at least he hopes to.

::FLASHBACK::  
Ren, on his breaks, tries to regain that tiny rush of warmth by overlooking the lyrics again. He does it several times, somedays it working, others not.

His musical mind subconsciously takes over from there, memorizing the notes and words. Although he never outright sings it, some words are uttered in the right intonations whenever he's unaware of himself.

Even in the copter, he spent his hours scrolling through the images. Which didn't go unnoticed, his newest band-mate eyeing it from the side.  
::END FLASHBACK::

His lips part. Fingers move. An inconprehensibly enchanting melody is breathed to life, his seductive honey dripping voice mesmerizing.

Seconds into the intro, a tiny glowing harlequin-green orb pops into existence, slowly bobbing around Ren's head. It dances to the rythm, floating about.

Slightly panicked eyes dart toward Aijima at the back, who's already been slowly descending.

His wide blue eyes sort of shout ' _Is this your doing?_ '

As if reading his mind, the prince shakes his head no. He's just as surprised..!

Another little green sphere poofs on the stage mid-air, darting around erratically.

As the idol continues the song on stage, a real sort of magic takes shape before everyone's eyes. Bright spheres apparate and dance around the open night air.

Ren peers far out, and Cecil follows in the same direction.

"Ah!" the prince shouts in triumph.

Little green lights ascend from the forest part of the island. That's where the ruins are..aren't they? The ancestral spirits of his clan have awakened! Cecil returns his attention to Ren, a glowing gleam of promise in his green eyes.

Ren continues singing, his voice warm and passionate. (Are you ready?)

The stars themselves dive from the sky! A sudden shower of comets and stars is an unbelievable and splendid miracle, and it fills up their hopes of being recognized..by Muse? Surely none of these mysterious phenomenons are a happening by pure chance?!

It garners astonished gasps from the guards.

Suddenly—!! Three lights flutter, break down, and shut off completely. All that's left is a single orange light bathing the teen at stage center. Ren seems to sparkle under the flaming ray. The sound of his song reverberates throughout the island, even touching through walls.

Ryuuya steadily descends from the lobby building, using the edges of its walls for support. His burnt feet hurt under the pressure, but he endures, wincing and whimpering under his breath.

He'd heard it begin, and couldn't believe it was real. No, he thought it was a trick of the mind, or a very nice dream formed out of a nightmare. But the pain in his skin is still all too real.

He finds solace in reawakening to his senses. The way his stomach flutters can't be denied. Step by step, he walks over the bridge through two sides of a pool, using the rails for support. Almost there....

A mystic orb bounces off his forehead, knocking his head back.

"Wha—!"

He rubs that spot questioningly, but eyes widen in wonderment as he only realizes then how the whole area is bouncing with them. Such strange things, he thinks, but can only attribute them as related in some way to the ancient legend Shining spoke of.

Another amazed gasp leaves him breathless upon realizing the shooting stars in the sky. He stays paralyzed there over the bridge— the one that goes over a pool— for a moment longer before struggling on.

Ryuuya shakes his head in unbelievable confusion. He doubts he can make it there before the song's end. After all, Ren's singing the original. And therefore it lacked much repetition, since the draft was made in only a single night.

A transformation takes hold over the theatre stage. The imagery of the music is externalized through the magic of the ancient forces, working like an enchantment on the environment. Instead of seeing the song with the mind, it's mysteriously born out of magic.

Slowly in some places, fast and ravenously in others— vines creep around from the ground and through the wooden floor panels, twisting and curling over props and support beams. And they don't lack for thorns.

Ren sings blissfully unaware, his eyes glued to the dark horizon before him.

Only those below stage stare on in horror and amazement. Cecil's lips form a little proud smirk.

As if on cue to the lyrics, little buds appear all over the stage, unfolding fast and flourishing into vibrantly glowing amber roses.

Ren's fingers quickly get red and raw. He's not very practiced without a pick, but they couldn't find one on such short notice. Even though a trickle of blood slides down his fingers, he vows to play on until the final note.

He hasn't missed a word, surprisingly enough. And no inch of his voice cracks, neither when he finally notices the roses. It's the perfect harmony, like his soul naturally knew how to sing the tune— a recognition at the spirit level that no words can describe.

The song draws near to a finish, but he desires with all his heart some way to continue on forever. Finally, he sighs the last few lyrics, a sleepiness overcoming him at the end like the song is his lifeline.

Ryuuya's bandaged feet slap hard against the terrace, the muscles burning in his legs. He broke out into such a run— He hurriedly sprints around the final hut leading to the performance area. He nearly topples over a bunch of misplaced chairs, using their backs for support while regaining his breath.

Through a wince, one grey eye peers over the short distance to the stage. It's mostly dark save for a single orange light... there's Ren underneath it. But what's that glowing decoration behind the annoying green orbs?

He makes the added effort to walk a little closer, acknowledged and helped the rest of the way by some of the kind guards. He releases their shoulders, finally finding some rest on a seat up front.

Ren's glassy eyes are glued to him.

Ryuuya leans back, ruffling the back of his orange hair. The beginning of a smile unknowingly takes hold of his features, teeth glowing against the darkness of his own backdrop.

The redhead unstraps himself from the guitar, intending to lay it down. He freezes mid-action, eyes taken back to the most fascinating occurrence of the night. The orange roses... _always_ with the orange roses.

He can't stop himself for smiling along with the irony. Mostly out of disbelief. Did Muse hear him? Were all of these things good signs?

Their glowing auras seem to diminish the more that he's aware of them. In a few seconds, they become like normal roses again. But he doesn't dare touch one. Picking them would be too pitiful, and he couldn't stand to watch it eventually wither and die. Not again.

He lays the guitar down, safe and steadily.

Ren turns around, hair flying back from his face. A salty ocean breeze picks up for them, pushing the little glowing orbs farther and farther away.

But some linger around, persistent and stubborn. They bop over heads and tickle their arms, floating around and darting back and forth like fireflies.

Ren chuckles at Ruuya shooing them away from his face. It feels weird to laugh. They're still uncertain that everything's going to be okay.

He has to remind himself, though he hates the reality, that Haruka nearly tried to kill herself under Muse's influence. Was that the Goddess' intentions? What is she really doing? That Goddess... The joy's wiped from his face, but that doesn't stop him from feeling a sense of fulfillment.

He leaps off the stage, intending to land on feet but instead falling onto his hands and knees. The exhaustion came in heavy...

Slowly, dizzily, Ren brushes the dirty and slightly bloody hands off the sides of his gift-shop shorts. He didn't mean to fall, but getting up safely helps ware the concern off Ryuuya's face. He takes the seat beside him.

To hide the guitar's damage to his fingers, Ren cradles Ryuuya's hands over his own. They whisper a few unintelligible things about health and walking ability. Praises about his performance don't go unsaid, but Ryuuya's flabbergasted for the most part of it. Ren laughs at him trying to get the words out. Then it's his turn to explain how the composition copied itself onto his mind.

They draw out the peace of the moment for as long as possible. The harshness of reality had too strong a hold over them today, and they're already half baked to senselessness that it'll be a while 'til they can react normally to things again.

When there's nothing left to say, Ren and Ryuuya consent with their eyes to share a really slow and gentle kiss. Barely sliding their damaged lips to avoid rubbing open skin, only tiny nips suffice for them. It has a calming effect, their excitement wearing down.

The two pass out on their chairs as the lights die down, drowning them in the eternal darkness of the island night.


	18. Ryuuya Drowning in a Pile of Men

Plenty stars twinkle overhead, but the moon's glow barely touches more than the hats of the huts.

Among the police guards present, the chopper pilots ask them for a ride back to the other side of the island. It's necessary to immediately prepare the copters for all their rides back, assuming the group is to leave as soon as possible now that their options are depleted.

Cecil's brimming with energy. He can't sit still for a minute. He offers to watch over the sleeping couple while the rest leave off to make preparations.

Whilst doing that, the prince jumps a great height to watch over the island from its view atop, making sure all remains calm.

He looks back to his resting friends, each of them injured to a degree. It pains him. The mystic energy coursing through his veins resonates with his will power. He wants them healed. Able to move around swiftly, and with ease. Filled with energy. _Safe_. There's so much he learned on this journey together with them. And nearly losing them stunned him out of his carefree mindset.

Cradling his head at the memory, Cecil calls out to the moon.

"Ancestors, hear my plea! My friends fell gravely injured. They only meant to save everybody.." he sighs sadly. "..I don't know if it did anything. But they are great ambassadors of music! They've proven themselves to Muse in the past, but now..! So, now..!? ..The pulse of happiness runs through their veins. Surely, you can help me turn this tragedy around? Please help! I, Prince of Agnapolis beg of you!"

And begging is a huge thing, a test of pride that is passed with flying colours. As if answering the prayer, a mystical green orb pops up, booping him on the front of his face. It is the first sphere he's seen in about an hour.

Cecil wrinkles his nose. The glowing ball darts around him. He tries to follow with his eyes, but it gets lost out of sight.

After several daunting, dreary minutes, the sounds of yawns and moving limbs, and chairs scraping rustle below.

Ah—?

Cecil hops down from his guard post, descending slowly.. curiously.. with a spark of expectancy. It doesn't disappoint!! He runs up to them, squishing the whole team together in a tight overbearing hug.

"AA.. _SSssf_ , WAtch it--"

Cecil releases them.

Ryuuya swings his arms about, and moves his legs. Ren stares astonished at the teacher's bandage-unraveled hands. The redhead's scratches and bruises have all cleared up too, or so it feels that way.

They move into the lobby, turning the lights on to verify the assumption. All the burns are gone! It's so hard to believe, but Cecil easily convinces them to. After the night they just had, any ridiculous thing is possible.

Their gratitude can't be understated though. The two happily oblige to run outside and scream their thank yous at the sky.

Cecil gets embarrassed, telling them it's really not necessary.

The prince gets paged on the walky-talky the guards set him up with. He picks up the device to his ear. The lobby party get informed that tram cars will be there to pick them up in twenty five to thirty minutes.

Excitement courses through the air. It might be some terribly weird energy kick, but a rush of adrenaline pumps through the couple. They can't keep themselves contained.

Cecil's not as zipped— he assumes they're both experiencing a side-affect of the magic.

Ryuuya complains about his body feeling really hot and prickly. He asks if Ren wants to wade a bit in the water with him, to which he obviously agrees.

Cecil asks about which pool, but gets cut off— no, of course, they meant the ocean. The younger idol sighs, waving them off.

"There's more dry clothes at the giftshop," he assures.

The rush of waves at their ankles, the sinking sand beneath their feet, the wind pressing against their faces— it all thrills them. Somehow.. they feel like this is the only way to properly thank the forces that restored them. By using their health to its full advantage. By living in the moment, even by grasping the tiniest opportunity to splash in the sea.

When changed and dry, they take transportation back to the choppers. The guards checking in with them are absolutely stunned about their miraculous healing. One of pilots can't even get their words out— blubbering what's supposed to be their pre-flight briefing.

The normal people have just seen seen _way_ too much for one night.

Cecil offers to take one of the choppers alone. That leaves Ren and Ryuuya the chance to fly back together.

The groups take off one after the other.

They try to ease the trip back by making small talk with the pilots. A bit of explaining had to be done— just vague enough to have them understand why Ryuuya was (WAS) singed.

Ren dangles his dead phone, making faces at it. Ryuuya takes his out too, they share the same look. At least their flight pilots didn't stop the chatter.

Radio feed's coming in all the while, the co-pilot receiving updates on the major Saotome Corp. situation. Thankfully, all the fires were successfully put out. A special notice came in too, about the girl “Nanami's” condition. She woke up, doesn't remember a thing, and seems to be feeling fine.

Right then, a huge weight lifts off their chests— seriously, they gasp like they're breathing for the first time. And that's exactly when the exhaustion starts piling in.

Ryuuya lolls his head back, really thinking about napping anyway. "..."

A slight panic rises in Ren. He asks if that information pertaining Haruka was also relayed to the other flight.

"Well, uh, yes."

 _Shit_.

The teen clucks his tongue.

After arriving back, Cecil surprises Ren and Ryuuya at the last flight of stairs in the building. Luckily, the agency's main building wasn't affected by fire. But all the lights are on, the place bustling with workers on cell phones desperately trying to save the company.

It's the first hour of the day, and Cecil blows a fuse at them. How dare Ren not tell him about Haruka. ABOUT HARUKA of all people!

Ryuuya grasps the situation quickly and tries to calm him. He rationalizes that knowing about her could've jeopardized their quite lucky outcome. Knowing could've put him in an emotional lock-down (he knew it from experience). And Ren direly needed Cecil's optimism and inspired help, so.. it was the best choice if only temporary.

Cecil just barely, stubbornly reconciles. Their relationship will be alright, after all, he does strongly believe Ren's performance was a colossal help in the turning of events.

In the lobby, a co-worker of Ryuuya's walks up to them. They have a call from Tsukimiya, still at the hospital with Shining.

Ringo asks about their success or failure, and the state of their health. He asks for quick answers because the line is so busy and he's not going to be able to sleep for another day.

Ryuuya thinks the mission was a success? He doesn't exactly know. But he did what he intended to.

Ren pulls the phone and assures the teacher that they're all safe, and that somehow only Cecil came back with a couple scratches. That confuses him greatly, but the pink-haired idol has final orders to give.

"SLEEP! We need all three of you in as soon as possible later on today, so Shining requests that you get all the necessary rest. That's really considerate considering that no one else is going to get some for a while. Get my beauty sleep for me in my place!" He hangs up on them.

Cecil parts them immediately. Ren wonders if he's off to find Haruka. To verify with his own eyes that she's okay..

Shaking out of that thought, the teen realizes that THEY DON'T HAVE THE KEYS TO THE CARS. They're with Ringo. He facepalms.

Someone in the building calls a taxi for them and pays for their ride. Ryuuya humbly thanks them, bowing— he pushes Ren down to bow as well.

At the apartment, they can't even stand long enough without sliding down the walls. Stripped, changed, brushed, the two fall completely face-first on the bed. K.O.!

They seriously tired delve into dreamland, but minds are too exhausted to remember any reverie details. It's a deep, black sleep.

Monday.

Sunlight streaming through means they slept a full night. The alarm went unnoticed. It's only until the phone rings that they nearly jump off the bed and fall to the floor, freaking out about the time.

Also Ren apparently drooled a bit, which Ryuuya doesn't miss a chance to mock. He gets slapped by a pillow upon answering the phone.

"H-Hello?"

The couple throw a few salutes as the gate opens. Driving up was a hassle because security has to verify their ID before letting them enter. There are many cases of reporters try ting to sneak in.

Entering the building is also the same kind of task. But they learn to appreciate it more after a colleague explains— the company's bankrupt, and these guards won't have any pay. They're there out of pure loyalty. And Shining trusts them completely.

Today's a sort of rendezvous, a time to regroup and make plans about the agency's future. All the idols, actors, models, and others are to report to the agency as soon as possible. Of course, not everyone actually makes it. There's still the trouble of dozens and dozens of celebrities abandoning the company. However.. some sources reveal that many of them have tried to take their jobs back early in the morning, several claiming to have been feeling possessed at the time of the alleged quitting.

Saotome is still looking into that.

Another good sign is that all the social media accounts hacked during the tragedy have been safely recovered, but no traces of the attacker were left. The deleted accounts had to be remade, but the most important online documents were properly recovered.

Ryuuya and Ren are bombared by this information the second they walk in. Apparently it's standard so that no one remains in the dark, as the last thing they all need are confused and angry celebrities calling their lawyers.

Ringo jumps Ryuuya on the way to his office. A big squishy hug for his best friend, with tears spilling all over his shoulder. It's happily reciprocated. The pink idol's so happy to see him, also quite surprised about his recovery. But not that surprised. Cecil had already arrived to relay the whole story.

He hands him the keys to his car back. Ringo adds that the rest of STARISH are somewhere lounging on a top floor. Also that they too have been told about nearly everything that transpired. Shining saw it fit now that Haruka's out of the critical state.

At the mention of her, Ryuuya shakes his colleague momentarily, asking for her whereabouts. A puzzled Ringo huffs angrily, blows a pink strand out of his face, then points up. "UPSTAIRS WITH THE REST OF THEM, YOU BIG DUMMY."

He starts running off backwards, waving at the same time. "Thank you..!"

You hear Ringo's muffled annoyance in the background, "Oh geez!"

Ryuuya rushes up the stairs, getting himself out of breath. The private lounge room has a large window view of the city. Thankfully not the same room he and Ren...were in a longtime before.

He bursts through the open door, suddenly garnering everyone's attention. They gasp his name out loud, Syo shouts ..something, or other— Haruka's beside Ren, his arm around her shoulder.

The actor moves in a few strides, leans down on his knees, and pulls her into the strongest but most gentle hug. She wraps her arms around his neck, smiling soundly.

Well put.

The rest of the group thinks it's fine, so they crowd around and practically throw themselves onto him. Hugs. Hugs everywhere. But he won't allow it, nope, he spews some silly threats hoping they will work, then complains to Ren about drowning in a pile of men.

Ren jokes on the unfortunate wording about that, and it being the last he should ever hear of it.


	19. An Entire Couch Flips Mid-Air

When all's settled, Cecil pulls him back outside the room for a minute. Ren follows along.

The prince mentions that the boys know pretty much everything right down to the final jam that ended it. He adds that details about Haruka's sorrowful mood swings were also given, but not of the near-death encounter. That's the only thing Shining wouldn't allow them to know, and he made Cecil swear to it. But he's okay with keeping that burden to himself, and so is Ren.

Then Cecil makes some vague comment about watching over her for a long time. Before Ryuuya could question that, a loud scream comes from within the room.

They check back frantically, and there in the middle of the room is the source of the fright. Syo has Natsuki's glasses in his hand, riding the taller teen's shoulders like a rodeo cowboy. Tokiya is skillfully ducking Satsuki's punches, while Otoya waves for his attention. Masato, meanwhile, guards Haruka like a wolf.

Then in slow motion— Satsuki's furious green eyes move around, catching sight of the three idols staring at him from behind the threshold. "IT'S YOU!" He lets out a very loud and angry snarl, throwing Syo off his back, and leaning to jump at them.

Cecil yells for them to run! He pushes Ryuuya by the shoulder, Ren also tugging him by the sleeve. They argue it out for a few hectic seconds, but the confused and stubborn teacher finally gives into their fear-stricken faces and runs with them.

They shuffle into the elevator, Cecil pressing the down button a million times per second. He releases relentless meows of frustration as the door slowly closes, the angry giant rampaging across the hall. Hearts beat right out of their chests..!! It closes, and the elevator starts moving down. Whew!

Ren suggests they press all the buttons so that it doesn't stop anywhere. Very scared of their impending death. Cecil earnestly agrees, following along with that plan. Once it's done, Ryuuya finally asks them, "..WHAT's going on?"

With a tail between his legs, Cecil tries to explain the issue through scared simpers, fingers probing at the closed door, pointing at what could've been a final tragedy. He fails fantastically, so Ren takes over.

Many past mishaps recounted, he gives the basis of what happens when Natsuki's glasses are removed. The general sum of his actual strength isn't underestimated in the facts, though Ryuuya thinks that and the entire idea's totally preposterous. The worried looks on the two teen's faces cannot be fought against, so he has to resign himself to believing them. For now.

A moment passes in silence. Then Cecil remembers something important. When Satsuki called out to them, whose eyes did he lock onto? That makes sense for everyone.

Ren gets nervous. He backs into a corner, staring at the floor. They stare at him. Cecil looks like he has something to say, but it's still on the tip of his tongue. Wagging his finger at Ren, trying to accuse something but not getting the words out. He stutters a bit, but then his brain unblocks.

"I forgot one crucial piece of information." Cecil sweats, nervously continuing, "I got told that Natsuki was at the scene of Haruka's incident. He caught her from falling!"

Ren and Ryuuya's eyes widen, recalling the information they too received when on the island. So Satsuki's sworn some kind of vengeance on Ren?

Ryuuya interrupts the chain of thoughts however. He sticks both hands in his coat pockets, staring at Cecil in the eyes. "He looked at me too." To prove it wasn't a coincidence, "His brows narrowed when he saw me."

They skedaddle out of the elevator through the third floor, assuming Satsuki might have gone down to ground zero. Cecil thinks it's safer for the two if he stayed behind and exited another floor, so that if he finds the monstrosity, the prince could find a way to redirect him. Taking one for the team! Or at least to warn them in advance— which he quickly devises a plan for— to announce a keyword and the floor level he's spotted on over intercom, to avoid clashing with the beast. Ryuuya thinks it's totally unnecessary, but Ren agrees with Cecil instead.

They land on a floor where only half the floor is busy with papers flying and frustrated people on phones. The other half is filled with empty cubicles, a quiet dead zone. Ren moves in, closer and closer, beckoning Ryuuya to follow.

But he hears something.. it sounds like someone crying. There's a lounge in the room next door. They stop in their tracks, hesitant and taken back as they peek inside. It's Tomochika, propped up on the couch, buried in her knees.

Ryuuya lightly pushes Ren back, intent on taking care of it himself. By that time, Tomochika realizes their presence. He asks him to keep a look-out, which the teen coolly complies. The female idol wipes her tears away, wondering what's up.

Ryuuya takes a seat next to her, asking what's wrong. She really hesitates about opening up. The subject's a ton times more sensitive now that he's around. It sorta ..pertains to him... But before he could get a word out, another reality pleasantly hits her.

"Your bruises! They're gone?!"

He rubs his head sheepishly. "It's a long story.. But tell me, please. I would like to help if possible."

Her doubts solidify about that. Has no one really seemed to notice? Her big career take-off was a huge flump. She was promised her first release would be well received. Instead, and not even minutes after it aired— everything went to utter hell. Tomochika can't help but think it's all somehow her fault, that her performance let everyone down. She couldn't even make the prophecy come true.

She gives him her mobile. On Tomo's twitter page, hundreds of replies continue coming in, heartless haters calling her bad luck and blaming her for the agency's disasters.

He's disgusted with humanity. Laying the phone down, Ryuuya prepares to give her a helpful peptalk. Not sure if it'll work, but giving it a try anyway. He asks her how much she knows about what transpired recently.

Wiping her face again, "If it's about your island mission impossible, and the weird roses on the stage, I was already told about it." But clearly not everything, since she was surprised to see him in full health. "Ah! .. But I'm the last person aside from sensei to know this much." Sensei being Ringo, most likely. She continues, "I'm starting to think the lyrics should've never been altered for it to work.. Shining-san must've missed that detail. There was such a short time in producing the song, I don't blame him for making that kind of mistake."

Ryuuya pauses on that very thought. Yeah, it seems true. It's entirely plausible that Saotome missed this tiny scenario in the grand scheme of things. So if Ren sang the original, why isn't everything at least back to normal already? Has the damage already been done? Can it not be taken back? Or were his words too harsh at the mouth of the volcano..? Talking to a goddess in any rebellious way would probably unleash her wrath. So it was still all his fault. Totally uneasy, he nearly forgets the main task: cheering up Shibuya.

He insists that she not cry anymore. They're in a bit of a storm, yes, but it'll pass. He tells her to log out of the social websites for now, and to find Haruka. She'll probably offer more comforting words. Ryuuya can't be sure how or when, but thing's are sure to be normal again soon. That's more his hope than a promise, but she takes his word for it.

And her status as an idol will totally redeem itself because he'll even write her another song to ensure it. He'll co-write it WITH her. The idea seems to plant itself in her mind, a little bit of colour returning to her cheeks. That's a huge, huge, HUGE favour he just insisted on doing, and her gratitude shows in the form of a tiny smile.

He wraps an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "Hmm.. You have this cowgirl feeling about you. Have any ideas?"

Ren keeps vigilant guard, sifting through the floor behind a layer of desks. That way, he can duck down and shuffle around behind them were he to spot Satsuki. Probably over-thinking this. He really doesn't want his lights punched out though, so better safe than sorry.

The elevator opens and Cecil runs out. He looks around frantically then runs off toward the other side of the floor. Ren calls out his name. The prince's attention caught, they meet up in the middle near a glass wall.

"He caught sight of me and started chasing me asking for you guys!" He was clearly frightened, and itching to hide somewhere still. Ren asked where Sacchan was last seen. "..On the second floor." They're on the third floor now. Cecil wonders where they're headed. The other teen mentions the possibility of going ground level.

Ren lets Cecil go, then returns to pick up Ryuuya. They leave Tomochika in a considerably better mood, but Ryuuya's just about over-the-top done with everything. He sees this chase as pointless and decides to confront the blond idol face-to-face.

Ren tells him all about why that is NOT a good idea. But does he listen? Well, sorta. Pretty understanding and trusting he is, but also kinda curious of what the whole fray is about. Ren musses up his hair in a bit of frustration. He comments about how easy this would be if they just had their cellphones working. Then he could check up on the rest of the gang and see how they're doing with returning the glasses.

They hop into the elevator again. Mission: ground zero. The two remain wary about anyone that would enter the shaft on the way down; so far three workers and a random idol were in when they arrived. The elevator stops at the first floor and their hearts speed up...!

Syo and Masato nearly fall into the elevator. A bunch of shouting comes from behind them, some of the other boys running past the open door. A somehow pleasantly surprised Syo squeezes in to talk to them while Masato presses the fifth floor button. They're still trying to find him with much effort. The little blond waves around a pair of glasses. Looks like he's the leader in this escapade.

A question hits Ryuuya out of nowhere— "Do any pair of glasses work?" Well, _yeah_. That's automatically 50% less stress. He pushes up his own glasses. So if they bump into the giant, the sensei could use his cunning speed and strength as a last resort to revert the teen back to normal. That's how the transformation works... apparently... though he'll never get over the question why.

They get out of the elevator before the door closes again, and Ren and Ryuuya hide in the throng of worried idols praying for their careers to be saved. A lot of the newbies can't change agencies because they're not well known enough to be accepted. Saotome corp. was the one to give them their first and best opportunity.

The whole main floor is flowing with people. Ren wonders if he can spot any of their senpai. A quick scan around shows that it's nearly impossible to spot anyone. Which makes it the perfect hiding place until this blows over.

The intercom turns on. "Ahem. This is a requested message to unnamed individuals by a friend. Piyo-chan laid zero eggs. I repeat, Piyo-chan laid zero eggs? Ahem. I apologize to third parties for the confusion. That is all."

A huge _wtf_ moment all over the place. But the couple in question crack a smile like it was the funniest thing they ever heard. It was code for Satsuki being spotted on the ground floor. But that means he may be right near them without any of the two noticing. Upon that realization, the smiles get wiped from their faces.

Some intense screams echo nearby, while an entire couch flips mid-air, landing about twenty feet away. _Uh oh_.

The crowd they're in begins to thin out as a bunch of frightened idols and office workers run for safety. That leaves them about wide open and vulnerable for trouble, the view of a tall rampaging blond too close for comfort.

A circle of guards surround him, two jumping on him from behind. He flings them around like they weigh less than french fries. The mere sight of his strength has Ryuuya take back his calm, a wide-eyed panic building. They bolt out of there for now.

Unfortunately during the hurry with their backs turned, the menace easily catches sight of them. They notice fast 'cause booming stomps behind them can't be ignored. They're being chased, oh god. It's like they're wearing red and someone let loose an angry bull. The couple split up, turning angles, running opposite sides. It's just enough confusion to buy them some time.

It works because Satsuki pauses in the rush to figure out who takes priority. He decides it's Ren somehow, and the multitude of screams in the redhead's direction magnify. Ryuuya notices this and, throwing away a half-made plan, moves in to save a certain idol's pretty face.

"Oy, Shinomiya!"

The sudden attention in disarray is enough for Ren to slip into the crowd unnoticed. The guards aren't giving up either. They keep at it, but Satsuki's too untouchable.

Frothing with fury, the tall teen turns around and focuses his wrath on the teacher instead. This time Ryuuya doesn't run. Though the little smile on his face is ironic, it's mostly for the tiny inner fear that he might need another magical healing again.

When the curly blond is within arm's reach, Ryuuya does some quick as shit flying-lightning-fighting moves intended to leave the kid tripped and fallen on the floor wondering what happened. He fails though, having only succeeded to push one leg out of balance and have him stumble.

Sacchan reciprocates the attack by pushing him to the floor. Ryuuya falls onto his butt, rubbing the sore spot on his chest. Satsuki's strength's incredible.

In the jerking movement to hastily get back up, the glasses fall from his face and hit the floor. Satsuki doesn't waste any chance; he's too smart for this. He crushes the glass spectacles under his feet. _Shit_. Ryuuya slowly stands back up, eyes hesitant to meet his opponent's.

The teacher faces the imminent brawl again. He just about backs up into a defensive stance, that is, until Satsuki nearly stumbles forward in—shock?!!

Ren had thrown himself onto the taller boy's back, legs tucked around for support. He loops his his index and thumbs together, forming small circle lenses to cover his eyes. The effect is instantaneous.

Natsuki blinks. ". . . Eh?"

Meanwhile, Ren groans like, "I can't believe this actually worked."

 


	20. Be NICE Jerks

The sudden shift of personalities is too abrupt. Ryuuya falters out of his fighting pose and scrambles back down to pick up the broken glasses. So long as the frame's still intact, they should work.

"Aah? Ren-kun? What's going on? What's going on? Uuuuw, can someone tell me!? Why am I here!?" The over-worried man-bear moves up and down and side to side in a tantrum of confusion. Ren has a hard time keeping his grip. It slowly slips...

"Hurry!" he yells.

He has the glasses sort of up to his face when Ren's loop fingers break apart and gravity forces him to fall off. In between there is a momentary transformation sequence of eyes that turn frantic and teary to vicious and dead cold. Ryuuya still tries to push the glasses on him, but it's a meek attempt that fails. Satsuki snatches them away, growling, and Ryuuya shrinks, beginning to back away.

"Stop ..runNING.. AWAY!!!"

He grabs Ryuuya by the collar. And somehow the teacher can't budge the hand off him, though he desperately tries. He's forcefully swerved around when Sacchan's other hand moves 'round to grab Ren from the other side. "You bastards were so annoying to catch! Don't. make. me. do that. Again."

Wh- What's this? The guards and the rest of the crowd stand around in awe as the big blond bully drags the two to a nearby couch (one that hasn't been thrown). Of course everyone on it and nearby immediately desert the area. After forcing them down, he lays down the law.

"I have some things to say." Yet he cracks his hands and knuckles while saying that, a menacing glare slicing into their quivering souls.

"Your dumbass actions put Natsuki under a lot of pain and stress. Saotome hypnotized him so that he would forget the incident, but as a result those suppressed memories will continue to stay with ME." He cracks his fists again.

They only pray now that some other daring STARISH member turns up and takes Satsuki by surprise. Just a little bit of distraction is all they need to run. But something of his words strikes them both as familiar. It's true...isn't it...yeah. Yeah. Back on the island, it was vaguely mentioned. Ringo said that Natsuki would go under immediate hypnosis. So this is the result of that..!

"This is something that I alone am at ease enough to bear, if not a single one of those thoughts resurface to him. But you two are the CAUSE for that immeasurable heartache! I should crush your skulls right now as compensation, but then Natsuki would wonder where you left and cry about it." Oh my god.

A sharp glare turns in Ryuuya's direction, followed by a staggering pointed finger. "You! You started this whole thing. For the record, I hate you." Wow, so blunt. Extremely taken back, Ryuuya simply stares at him in total surprise. The giant resumes his rant. "Your recklessness took a heavy risk, and that risk was Haruka Nanami's life. I can't forgive you at all!" Pause. "..But I should be glad that she can't love you anymore. Not that I'd ever let you have her."

An actual audible gasp comes from the two sitting down! How did he know that? They share a puzzled glance followed by quick silent reasoning. Some ..telepathy? Or maybe the answer was more obvious. Satsuki was...no..Natsuki.. Natsuki must have noticed every detailed change in Haruka. He's maybe not so much of a ditz like everyone thinks? Real intuitive, but perhaps quick to shrug it off, burying the truth alone with the protector guardian of his mind. That should explain why Satsuki knew core reason for her imbalance of emotions. It was a fact withdrawn from the rest of them. Maybe that's why Natsuki arrived early that day, the day when she..!

Satsuki switches hands, throwing a finger at Ren's face. His turn to sweat nervously, worried face full of creases. "And you!" He literally huffs. What the hell's happening- "You.." The angry bear twists his face into agony, looking off slightly to the side. Seems to be thinking hard about something. He finally speaks up. Their eyes meet. "Thank you." His glare's somehow softer. (Is that possible?) "Thank you," he repeats, "..for ultimately ending this with your own power. You did it better than that jackass over there, and you didn't have to melt a fucking magical link to Haruka's heart in a goddamn volcano to do it. So I'm not pummeling you into the ground today!" Ren chokes on his own spit, he can't form any audible words to respond with. Well they're both equally shocked, actually. But before a reply can be given, Syo and Masato jump on the scene.

They scramble over to the side of the couch, their bodies tensed up, staring warily at Satsuki, calculating when to make a move. The tall blond calmly walks over to them and snatches the glasses out of Syo's hand.

"UAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"—That's Syo freaking out. He pulls on his own hair, crying about all lost hope. Masato takes a step back in defense, side-glancing Ren and Ryuuya, making sure they're safe. But he's surprised to see his former roommate..smiling?

Next, the gemini alter ego shocks the world with a dramatic disclosure. "You guys are jerks!! Tch." Woah. "Be NICE jerks. Eat his damn cooking! Godsakes!" Satsuki slips on the glasses. By himself. Willingly. Syo falls to the floor in denial. The rest of the group and Haruka catch up seconds later, Cecil following them from the other side.

"E-Eh? How did I get here? Everyone? Helloooo?? Wh-What's with your faces?"

Natsuki scratches his head, laughing at everyone's apparent silliness. Ryuuya presses his lips together, a bit concerned. He speaks up. "Shinomiya, what do you think of me?"

The bubbly airhead smiles the biggest cutest smile you can imagine. "Of course I love you, sensei!" The man-child squeezes in their distance and picks up the older man into an incredible bear hug. He actually lifts him off the ground. Ryuuya is minorly alarmed. And needless to say, everyone's faces are priceless. Natsuki mumbles close to his ear. "You're Ren-chan's lovely one. That makes you a special part of this biiiiiig happy family."

After the whole debacle, the gang splits up as the rest of the day moves on. Lots of company developments emerge. There's promising hints of recovery, a rumour spreading through the building. Reiji and Ai get spotted fast by some of them, and the kouhais vy for their company. The rest of the band goes their separate ways among the big ocean of actors, idols, composers, etc. It's a unique chance to mingle. Ren and Ryuuya, however, spend a good time looking for Ringo. It's significantly less crowded than when Shining held those quickfire auditions, but still quite packed so that it would be hard to hear one's name over a few feet distance.

Ringo's the only key anyone has to speaking with Shining. He became the man's temporary assistant after their fight. Broken fingers gotta be a painful hassle to deal with. Luckily they did receive reassurance back at the hospital that it wasn't so critical a condition that he couldn't ever properly play instruments anymore. Of course, there was a chance of him developing arthritis because of it, and that would in fact hinder his ability. However, the tough guy never surrendered to the idea.

After some searching, Ryuuya thinks they might be in a conference room video-calling with financial leaders somewhere. But there are several of these rooms located all over the building. The elevators are too crammed-full for use anymore. They opt for steps which tire them out fast. Getting in contact with the boss is imperative. Their experience and information may be of some use to his plan. If he has one.

They both shuffle in one after the other, Ryuuya nearly toppling over the former as the two grown men push themselves into the boardroom. The two catch remaining pieces of someone's sentence. "—it's raised." A big silence follows suite.

Ryuuya sucks in some air. He forgot to breathe. Hands fly up to the back of their heads, a bit of nervous laughter echoing. "Uhmm.."

"Aahah.."

They were clearly causing a disturbance.

Out of the darkest part of the room, the shadow of their bold boss slips into view. "Ren Jinguji... And my colleague, Ryuuya Hyuuga." He speaks as if addressing them to the rest of the assembly. And indeed, what sounds like a man clearing his throat echoes from overhead, movement detected behind the overhead projector. Displayed on the screen, a business man in a suit up front, a few others sitting close by behind him. A video conference..

Ryuuya puts on a solemn face, bowing. "Please excuse my interruption." Ren quietly follows along, his expression wary. It's embarrassing...

The headmaster waves his bandaged hand a little, motioning them to find a place on the side. A couple unoccupied chairs by the wall beckon them.

"Rrrright. In accordance to your previous statement, I must agree." Shining resumes his meeting until the former two become more relevant to the topic discussion.

While sitting out, the dual major players in this recent catastrophe learn a lot of things about the state of the corporation. Things have improved dramatically over the course of one night. It ~was~ hinted upon their arrival this morning that many affairs had been restored, but the whole situation changed even more within the course of the day. It's surprising to think the great Goddess' curse would lift for one, but to actually reverse? Well, that might be incorrect. Every charred buildings burnt in the fires can't be saved anymore, but if there's a chance the bankruptcy could be fully overcome—!! Ren's on the edge of his seat.

Satsuki's mercy before left them with new-found encouragement. Things were dire, and he was lucky enough to make a few right moves back on that island. Cecil, too. But their time at the resort is over. Now, everyone's fighting to return things back to normal. Though it can't ever be that simple! Of course. If affairs are truly mysteriously reverting back to their former state, then the lot of them can't do much but watch it play out and react appropriately.

Somewhere along the negotiations, the man on screen calls both Ren and Ryuuya out for being stationed on the island during the incident. They get asked about Raging Otori, as he seems to be a highlight in the discussion, but neither can give anything more than the same answer—

"We didn't see him."

"He was caught and sent away before we were aware of it."

He was in fact arrested and on his way to Japan for questioning and detainment when another ship stopped in their path to pick him up. 'His people', he called them. A few lawyers, some government puppets, and a few neutral parties to witness it all.

Raging's wiser than he looks, having prepared all of that just in case plans went awry. The police had no choice but to let him go; the opposing side had compelling documents freeing him up from capture. So yeah, officially let off the hook, unfortunately, but thankfully the man's pride won't let him rear his face around for a while.

Sources say he's hiding out in Fiji. Shining just barely acknowledges that with a nod, but anyone in the room can see their life-long rivalship ain't over yet. Of course he couldn't care less about him presently. Shining holds more integrity than that low-life, putting the fate of his loyal workers above his personal tribulations.

Next topic is of the existence of magical forces and whether the aetheric element had actually played a role in the scheme of developments, or if it was in truth a foolish and senile or scheming fabrication, probably to further some backhanded plan. The accused of the aforementioned possible crime being Shining Saotome. Nevermind having to explain the Happy Pulse in layman's terms, but for outside parties to try to understand anything about a music deity, legends and enchantments... it was way too out of line for normal thought.

A lot of those working behind Saotome remain strong believers in the unknown, most especially after the face of recent events. And just as well—! The hype of legends and mysterious forces is what also captured many of the entertainers to the company's most recent idol competition (well, that and a career prize). And if Haruka Nanami's little transformation light show that day didn't turn any skeptics around, then at the very least a bunch of guards and pilots at Ren's private show do now know how real Muse is. He could always have them testify, under oath if applicable, but it didn't seem like a subject his video-conference partners would take seriously enough to press. Indeed, the men on screen choose to negotiate as if the company's K.O. was stemmed out of Shining's own bad choices. Which might not be too far off from the truth, after all, there are risks in upsetting cosmic forces. Muse was definitely pissed.

After another couple hours, the really tired group of agency associates file out of the room. One glance at the window shows the day growing dark. A ripe orange glows just behind a distant building. It's sun down. But the business day is far from over yet. A full conclusion must be reached. Hardly anyone plans to leave for another six hours at the most. But the conference was fruitful. Renewed hope spreads fast across the building on all levels.

Ryuuya stretches his limbs, cracking his neck and back as he walks down the hallway. He and Ren had minimal participation, but after a few more question sessions, they managed to help Saotome's case somehow. Running up there in the nick of time to stand by their boss... it was a coincidence, or maybe sheer luck.

Since NONE of them have cell phones of their own anymore, they resort to hunting down Ringo. The wig-less idol stands out a lot less from the crowd, but pink hair is still undeniably distinguishing enough. Ryuuya takes the liberty of filling in his best friend on the boardroom events. From the sound of the actor's explanations, it went rather well..? They left the meeting with Shining asking them to be patient. So perhaps.. things were working out. It was difficult to discern overall.

Ringo, being his usual unpredictable self, prompts up the question, "How do you define patience?" It's an abstract conversation out of the blue. Or maybe it's a serious question. You can never tell with him. But Ren takes up the challenge with fervor, slipping into deep thought.

Ryuuya answers quickly— "Tolerance."

The shorter teacher finds that fascinating. "Mmm, tolerance~? Isn't that a bit too harsh a word to define something as soft and gentle as patience? But which do you think is better, tolerance or understanding?"

The tie-wearing tall one closes off a sigh, "Oi, you're getting off-topic."

"Foresight." Ren looks up. They turn to him, half-bewildered. "It makes sense," he continues, "—that patience is not just sitting around and waiting. Although it does imply a wait, the word is partly about concluding an expectation. We can't know for sure how things play out, so expectancy is a sort of faith. That's why patience is foreseeing an end and calmly preparing for it."

The two elders walk in silence for a minute. Slowly then, Ryuuya nods his head. Ringo though, lightly slaps his friend on the back, "And why couldn't YOU think of that?" Ren whole-heartedly breaks out into chuckles as they argue.

Someone's tummy rumbles. It's just about that time, eh? Ryuuya looks at his watch. They make a mutual agreement. It's time for dinner. Ringo overheard plenty of workers making plans to eat out and then return right away, but amazingly, a majority of the building make concessions to remain and eat at the cafeteria. It usually doesn't serve anything past lunch, but today's the exception. And it's hella packed. Their stock of food had long run out before lunch however. And since the company's broke, there wasn't a chance of being able to order more bulk food. So...how is it still open?

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!! Over here! Over here! Over here, Ringo-sensei! Everyooooone!" Waving like a maniac, a foot practically up on the table— across the dining hall, a certain fiery redhead pops his head over the crowd, a grin from ear to ear.

Only Ringo cares to reply the same way, waving back— "Ooooooooooooooi!! We're coming over, okaaaaay? Wait for us!! Make some room for us!" And he actually slides his way through the dense crowd like a floating mist.

Otoya and Ringo hold hands enthusiastically, cheering happily about a something-or-other while Ryuuya and Ren catch up. The rest of STARISH sit around the table, each giving them a cool and casual lookin' pose as compensation for being out of the story's plot for so long. Manly shoujo bubbles and sparkles are everywhere. They be like, “Hey sensei didya miss us~”

Ryuuya whispers to Ren, "W-What's with ...everyone.."

"Hoh~? Where did all this food come from?" Ren placing a few fingers to his chin checks out the other tables. Everyone seems to be eating the same meals. Not really lavish looking. Homemade more likely.

Tokiya answers that question for him. At the end of lunch hour, a lot of staff pitched in donations to keep the cafeteria running through the evening. About a dozen or so employees asked favours of their wives, husbands, or other relatives to lend an extra helping hand to the kitchen staff. And it's apparently free to anyone who asks for food. So the meals currently presented to them are a symbol of the workers' undying devotion to the agency. Truly remarkable. That kind of loyalty puts a small smile on Ryuuya's lips. He'd gone through so much hell and high-water in working for the company. And it was always worth it. Everyone's like a second family. It simply enforces the fact...well, that he truly loves his job.

With STARISH all squished together to make extra room, the newcomers enjoy a hearty and delicious meal. In minutes, Otoya waves Tomochika over to join them too. That's when they get packed tight like sardines in a can. Tokiya refrains him from inviting anybody else (keeping the puppy on a leash).

The delicate flower Haruka, meanwhile, makes not-so-secret glances at Ren, probably hesitating words in her head. Next to her, Masato acknowledges this before anyone else, coolly encouraging her. "Outside the emergency exit.. on the side of the building. You'll be alone there." _Smooth_. She nods, her brows furrowing in cute triumphant spirit.

"J-Jinguji-kun?!"

Surprised by the aggressive demeanour, Ren responds cautiously, "..Lady?"

 


	21. Agna-dance Party

The night is fallen. It's pitch darkness in the distance. A few golden lamps light up the perimeter of the building. It's a bit chilly, but formidable for the season. In the view, a few many trees separate them from the next building over. The brisk air clears their heads for several moments. They're alone.

Ren rolls his head to the side, smiling eyes and devilish mouth awaiting the composer's next move. "So~? How did I get so lucky for this private audience with the princess?"

She holds tightly onto the hem of her skirt, blushing. "Th-Th-Thank you!" He sends her a puzzled look. "Th-Thank you..Jinguji-kun.. for saving everyone. And for being understanding about my...about earlier... a few days ago. Thank you for everything!!" She bows over again and again, but he's still stunned confused. Haruka continues, "A—Ano.. everyone seems to act like I don't understand a thing! And in truth, I don't understand very much, because no one will explain it to me. But I... I've been aware of some things for a long while now!"

Oi, oi, oi... Ren scratches the side of his cheek. This..is...unprecedented news. He feels guilty. Everyone just assumes Haruka is clueless in the same way Natsuki is about Satsuki. Isn't that right? Supposedly.. Right..? Probably. Putting the pieces together, it wouldn't make sense for that giant to not at the very least be subtly aware of his violent alter ego. Natsuki proved to the team many times over that he's a lot wiser than the way he acts. And both he and Haruka are very kept to themselves..usually. It's not in their nature to burden others with knowledge of their troubles. The little lady _has_ kept many things to herself before.

Ren unloads a sigh. "Agh..." It should've been obvious. He's ashamed. After a long pause he speaks up, "I feel like I should apologize on behalf of the team. We didn't know. I'm sorry..... Lady." She looks up, smiling, a bit relieved. He's not done yet. "You deserve to know. I'll try my best to explain anything."

Haruka contemplates that, then takes a step back, admiring the stars. The sky is quite clear for a night in the city. "Magic... I know there's magic, and a goddess that's somehow tied to me. I've known about that for a long time. Since the visit to that island in our first year." Ren sweats nervously.......again with that island. The petite pianist does a twirl around, meeting the idol's attentive gaze. "I've seen a cat turn into a boy..! It would be strange if I didn't question that.. although I did accept it quickly. ..I know I've been possessed by beings before. It feels the same each time, and everyone around me talks about things I can't remember." She cocks her head to the side pitifully, emitting fake laughter. "It's strange, isn't it? That a.." Her small fists ball up, fingernails clenching into skin. "..that I'd be used like a dummy for some other being's plan. Getting caught up in weird spells that have nothing to do with me. And..and almost losing my life.." Tears trickle down her cheeks, and her body convulses with held-back sobs.

Immediately, Ren pulls her into a protective embrace. Holding her tight, they remain in silence for several minutes. Little lambs shouldn't be hurting this way. So she does know pretty much everything. The redhead finally and fully acknowledges that. The others will know about it too. He promises that.

Little hands break up their hug. She rubs her eyes, smiling happily. "I feel so much better now. But there's still one thing more I need to say."

He slips hands into his pockets, renewing a gentle grin. "Hmm?"

"I know now that the way I was feeling..the way I was feeling before, uh— that way, uh, that wasn't me!! I know now..that it wasn't really me. I'm so glad about that..!" She clutches her chest, heaving a sigh in relief. Ren figures she's talking about their conversation at the park. About her magically-induced feelings for Ryuuya. The ones that should be long-gone by now. Her next words surprise him the most however. "I'm really happy...when I see you two together. This indescribable feeling of joy wells up from within me, and I'm so...! B-Because you are very good to each other..! There's just something warm and bright that shines around you when you're side by side, and..it fills me with inspiration. The notes clamor in my head begging for life. I want to somehow convey that incredible connection of yours with the abilities I have..and breathe that joyful life into the world. I think love has that profound power." Her eyes shine with earnest possibilities. The mood changed completely. Haruka's delight is contagious.

He ruffles the top of her strawberry hair, grinning like a cat. "It's cold out here!"

Back inside, the group migrates to the lobby. There's not much for them to do but lounge around and offer moral support. A lot of the artists had long left already. Their senpais remain with them for the time being however, minus Camus of course. He left a long time ago. Cecil whines about it occasionally.

The front area's now some sort of a cozy space for lingering members of the agency. A lot of people chill around in circles on the floor. Some artists lean against pillars, strumming guitars. Campfire melodies softly hum from different corners of the room. A mix of doubtful and hopeful conversations whirr from group to group.

Shining's finishing the fourth video conference of the day. Less and less people present themselves at the passing meetings. Rumours spread that they accomplish nothing, but everyone wants to believe that miracles can happen. No matter how pessimistic the individual, every artist still loitering around the building mutually agree on an intense desire for the agency's revival. For some, the agency is less like a second home and more like a first one.

Among the various ticking moments, Cecil seizes the hour to restore vitality to all the sleepy idols. He up and starts chanting fertility songs in his native Agna-language, getting bizarre looks from everyone while at it.

All the meanwhile, Haruka works diligently on a scrap of paper. She's composing. When intrigue confronts her about it, the composer tells her friends that their combined faith feels like a special harmony. She wants to write it. In a non-serious manner, everyone takes turns shooting her some ideas. In response, Haruka allows her friends and seniors to add and edit the melody. As a collaboration of sorts. The sheet gets passed around several times. An imperfect and messy draft it is, but that's alright.

She hums the tune. And strangely, in a motion just like a wave, the entire room quiets down...to listen.

Cecil's eyes widen as he begins to look restless. The prince leans in close, looking for her spot on the page. Haruka stops short, and assuming he wants to, allows him to continue in her place. Paper in hand, Cecil hums a few more lines before actually proposing his idea, eyes sparkling.

"I would like to pray to Muse...to give this song lyrics."

Naturally everyone freaks out and strongly opposes, but Cecil insists on it. He even puts his foot down to defend the idea. "Muse is THE deity of music! We may have fallen out of her favour, but we can fall back into it? What my Goddess did seems utterly unforgivable to the human perspective, but listen here. Her Grace truly is merciful! My people did things for centuries that have either upset or pleased her. We always tried to make amends... and Muse still remains our divine patron."

Uneasy looks get passed around. No one is convinced yet. Cecil tries harder. "What about the those Greek gods, you know? I cannot remember a story when one vengeful god didn't act like a mortal when put under stress. If my Goddess was a true embodiment of impartiality, the closeness and communication between her and my people wouldn't exist. Us humans can only relate to that which-in we see parts of ourselves! It is why we depict her as female. It is why her statues resemble a woman. Do you understand?"

Everyone mildly stares out into space. He totally lost 'em. Maybe he didn't explain it right.

Ranmaru carefully strokes the neck of his bass, turning up black-rimmed eyes. They're deeply skeptical. "Give it a try then..if you think there's nothing left to lose."

"Mhm!" Determined eyes flutter down, the music sheet held close to his heart. A few seconds pass. A minute passes. Nothing happens. He opens an eye. "Give me a bit more time please..!" Another minute passes.

Muse, a biased figure..? Or impartial being? A whole five minutes pass.

The rest are back to their former discussions, each having mentally given up on the idea. All except for Haruka. Her eyes never leave him. That makes him doubly anxious. Cecil, however, remains strong. There has to be a way...

Reiji locking Masato in a chokehold is the last thing Cecil hears about before drowning out all sound entirely. In a meditative state, the prince locates his center. His faith is wavering. Unforgiveness still riddles his heart. He _is_ hurt, admitting it to himself at last. His forehead drips. Cecil is fighting an inner battle. One in which his enemy isn't Muse, but rather himself. And his view of her—was it correct?

After several more minutes, Haruka draws the lot's attention back to Cecil. None of them think to shake him out of it. They simply watch on.

Meanwhile, Ren tentatively reads Ryuuya's expression. It's struggling, equally as much.

Several moments pass again, and Cecil's pained face eases into one of peace. He exhales a breathy sigh. Opening his eyes in a blurry daze, the prince turns to Ryuuya. "I feel like.. I feel like I must tell you that none of it was your fault." Turning to Ren. "Neither was it yours. Nor was mine, or anyone's at all, not even that of Her mighty self. None of this was a fault of any kind!"

Everyone looks massively confused, maybe even a bit angry. He clears his throat, trying to elaborate. "W-What I mean to say is... We'll never fully understand Muse's true intentions. We can't see the big picture where we are right now. The way we perceived it is almost entirely likely to be untrue. She's omnipotent.. Yeah. Muse can see beyond our meager reality. I believe she meant to do those things for some greater reason."

He gets up off the floor. He's all fired up. "I won't tell you this was destined to happen. That any of this was unavoidable! I don't believe our fates are fixed. Destiny happens when we want it to. I chose to stay here and become an idol. That was my decision. We all carved this road together, with our own hands! But the last two weeks were not pointless bloodshed. It wasn't filled with pointless struggle!" He passionately stresses his fingers for emphasis. Everyone stares. He crosses his arms, slightly embarrassed.

Cecil continues. "We all went through many trials... Inside ourselves, with others, all forms of battles took place. But we won them, didn't we? Look at all that you've learned or reaffirmed to yourselves: inner strength, true love, friendship, faith, forgiveness, patience, gratitude, passion. If Muse's enchantment hadn't happened to us, another set of equally-as-difficult challenges would've been thrown on our path—eventually. We'd learn the same lessons then too, I'm sure of it. Everything that happened did put us on shaky grounds...with ourselves and each other, but now is the chance to strengthen up our foundations all over again. Making ourselves stronger is a step forward." He throws up an open palm toward the ceiling. "I won't forget, and neither should you! What happened to us was dangerous. Some of us would have lost our lives.." Painfully side-glancing Haruka. "And now our agency might be ending tragically, BUT... We threw away every bit of hesitation and fought for what we believed in! We won against fear. Ryuuya, you climbed a volcano as it began to overflow at your feet! Your boss broke his fingers testing you...and testing his own faith. Ren, you jumped from a plane to rescue him. You took a chance and sang your song, believing it would turn everything around! Haruka..you fought for your willpower. You boldly declared yourself your own person. You are not just the Goddess' vessel..! Everyone..everyone stood their ground, helped out, and grew in their own way! We made it here together. "

Some outsiders start gathering around. "C'est - la - vie." He smiles softly. Warmly. The built-up tension melts away with the simple foreign phrase. Probably 'cause they got no idea what he's saying. "It means 'that's life'. I wish none of us had to endanger our lives, or have terrible curses forced upon us. However, I am grateful for all the life experiences that made this a part of 'life'. We aren't guaranteed the safety of stagnant routine. Something will always come along and shake us up, allowing us to acquire new feelings, new thoughts, new possibilities. Last week, it was a magical curse. By omitting fear, we can take better advantage of a situation. That's what we'll do today! I'll admit all seemed hopeless and devastating at first, but I learned that's only a matter of perspective. When I lost hope, Ren's brilliant ideas filled my heart with new faith, and we made a difference. Trust me! We can still save Saotome Agency! Please lend me your faith!"

Hollers erupt from across the room. Some people start clapping? Cecil charmed the whole sea of people. A loud roar of applause ripples across the entire room. The group pick themselves off the floor, moving out, ensuring enough space for Cecil to do his thing.

This is it! The prince will try it again! Requesting lyrics for their composition from the Goddess Muse herself.

An absolute stillness grows out from the crowd's center as silence falls over. Cecil holds the page close to his heart. A mist of glowing energy vaporizes around him. His lips move instinctively to a silent tune. The vibrant green glow grows from within his chest, spontaneously spiraling outward. It shoots to different corners of the room and bounces back, forming a large sphere of green energy ribbons around the prince.

Everyone's jaws drop one by one. Is it really that easy..? Truly, honestly?! There's no sign of resistance anywhere. Does that mean..? Cecil begins to hum the tune until audible words form. Muse is granting Cecil's wish.

There's a blinding flash of light and then....!! The green lights are gone. Cecil stops singing. He looks at the page. Written atop each line of notes, a set of divine lyrics. It actually worked. He holds up the page in triumph. "The name is.. Nintai no Prudentia!"

The entire lobby shakes with cheers and excitement. Cecil hands the notes back over to Haruka. The petite pianist reads the words carefully, eyes filling up with tears. "It's lovely!" She sniffles, and Cecil pulls her into a hug.

Tokiya takes the paper from her and the rest huddle around to see. Lots of "Ooh's" and "Aah's" from STARISH members, then Ai snatches the sheet to take a look at it with Reiji and Ranmaru.

"I've memorized it," inputs the android.

"WAaaa?!" Reiji can hardly concentrate through that awe before Ranmaru calmly places the composition into Ryuuya's hands.

He and Ringo scan over it like scrutinizing professionals. They nod at the same time, "I approve. Good work."

Back in Haruka's hands again, she cradles the page to her chest. "I would love if everyone could sing this together one day."

Ringo pipes in, "Let's do that tomorrow! We should sing it like a good luck charm. Maybe it will save us all from unemployment!" He deflates like a sad seaweed.

"Tomorrow, you have students to teach." Shining Saotome randomly appears behind Masato and Tomochika. The latter two quiver in shock and confusion. The headmaster pushes up his sunglasses, and it glimmers. He walks up to the floor's center.

"I finished a meeting but mere minutes ago," he speaks again, crossing both arms behind his back. Everyone remains on edge. "A few minutes prior to concluding the conference, and I might add— a conference seemingly going nowhere, a personal assistant of mine thought it necessary to barge in and proclaim that a wackjob was spouting incredible things on the main floor." He directs a smirk at Cecil, who in turn shivers like a scaredy cat. "When I temporarily excused myself to see the commotion, I was confounded by the level of profound inspiration that wackjob was giving out. I should say, it certainly gave me new strength. And when I returned to the video-conference room where on the screen my associate generously awaited, I was met by a most forrrtuitious turn of events!" You could see everyone start to exhale in relief.

Shining continued. "That man was out of his seat, jumping in exhilarrration! Shouting incoherent things in a babbling excitement I could not comprehend, and yet I understood intuitively that something incredible had occurred. Let me recap to you— last night, all the money to our company's name had disappeared as if by a cruel act of magic." Everyone grimaces. "But tonight... by some wonderful miracle, all of the corporation's wealth was mysteriously returned with not a single trace of how or why left behind. I cannot say that I don't have peculiar hunches of my own, but regardless of its nature, you may shout out to your hearts out now. Omedetou!"

Everyone gasps and cheers, the roar and bustle of the crowd explodes into an intense harmony of crazy, noisy gratitude. The shouts and jumping do not cease.

A worker calls Shining back to the offices, mouthing only audible words like "Stock—market—on—phone—" He nods and zips out immediately, throwing glitter and confetti in his wake.

Amidst all the joy and waves of relief, several groups huddle together and throw their smallest members in the air as a sign of celebration. Syo is evidently not happy about it. Couples, especially, reunite and bask in the triumph with hands held and shared kisses. Bands break out into victory melodies, using their instruments on hand to rock out to the beat of everyone's jubilation. About twenty minutes in however, the workers silence them. It's past the weekday noise curfew, and none of them want to invite police. Since it's very late already, everyone feels it's just about time to head home. The party slowly disassembles. Only Shining and a few workers remain. Ryuuya insists on staying too, but he gets overruled by both boss and boyfriend.

In the car ride back, a spontaneous Ren leans over to softly bite Ryuuya's ear. "I'm trying to driiive..." the older man whines. It's a long, distracted journey home.


	22. Your Pecs Are Not Very Soft

"Hey old man, you're getting too slow for this."

"Watch it, or I'll—"

Sudden intake of air. "Not -nn..fair.."

"Does it feel okay?"

"I—"

"Want me to stop?"

"No.."

Ren bites down again, teeth seeped his partner's shoulder. Hot saliva pools down his tongue onto skin. A breathless wince escapes his partner in response. Things are getting a little too rough.

After a moment, the younger one pulls Ryuuya's face in, ensnaring his lips in a rough struggle that leaves no room for air. The overwhelming kiss dominates him for a few seconds more, then Ryuuya reclaims the lead. Thrusting inward once more, firm hands latch the teen's buttocks. He gives it a good squeeze, startling Ren with a deep blush. Lube dribbles onto the sheets.

The redhead vengefully reaches around to slap Ryuuya's ass. The older man chuckles at the weak attempt. Breathing gets somewhat shallow, eyes glazed over. The fighting prince can't fight for too long either.

Ren's breathy sighs increase as the curve of their bodies bend closer together. With arms tied around Ryuuya's neck, the actor picks up pace. Muscles gleam with sweat. He muffles final breathy gasps into the idol's chest, amber hair tickling tan skin. Ren shivers, a whine escaping. Ryuuya responds by pulling out fast.

Ren pouts. "You almost—"

"Aaa, sorry, sorry." A tiny embarrassed grin. He cleans up, still panting. "It's more convenient this way, right?"

Momentary pause. "Hurry back here.."

Ryuuya turns his head back, suddenly wishing he hadn't. _Cute_..

That face toys with his heartstrings. Regardless of it, the older half climbs back in and pulls Ren into his chest. Soft pieces of hair fall over Ren's eyes. Ryuuya pushes them away. Their bodies tense up again, hearts beating fast. Ren looks up, initiating eye contact. He sticks out his tongue.

Ryuuya playfully ruffles his hair in turn. "Good dog."

Ren puffs his cheeks, frowning deeply. "Kiss."

The actor lifts his chin in obedience. "That's too demanding. You're definitely a cat."

Ryuuya dives in, setting the kiss on his greedy little mouth, wet warm lips pressing and pulling apart. Fingers linked at the back of his neck tug the elder closer. A hot exchange of saliva keeps them satiated. Kind of recklessly sloppy. Strings of shiny spittle fall apart as they break for air.

Ryuuya's hands slowly feel down his body, caressing each thigh, trailing back up the inner sides. Ren squeaks, which makes him laugh. He tries to make a defiant face, but Ryuuya inserts some fingers into his mouth. "You look funny like that." A muffled huff in response. Ren swirls his tongue around.

Slick fingers slip out and tease the V lines of the redhead's lower abdomen. Ren's already too aroused, whimpering in pleasure. He won't last long, so Ryuuya kindly pans it out, running a wet hand along the underside of his erection. Stroking sensitive nerves at the head, moving further back to pleasure spots that only serve to build up stifled cries. He winces, eyes shut, hot and flushed at the delay. Precum runs down his shaft. Ryuuya clamps it, a firm but soft grip, giving slight twists up and down the length. He picks up momentum, running it back and forth until the redhead shamelessly whines. The fighting prince wins this battle, locking Ren's lips to feel them quiver as his body flinches again and again, Ryuuya's hand wet with something other than saliva.

The red-faced teen leans in, breathing heavy, grinning in defeat. He boops his forehead on Ryuuya's chest. "Your pecs..are not very soft."

The next day is a total mess of reporters clamoring in the parking lot as they enter for work. Shining finally allows the press to cover them. Quite reasonable since the main issues are done and dealt with. Now it's time to restore the company to its former functioning glory.

The publicity is probably necessary at this point in conveying a better image of the agency building itself back up. It seriously won't take long until everything gets smoothed over and normal again. Honestly, there have been other controversial events in the past, and they too were perfectly erased from history.

News stories about a new song by 'mysterious co-writers' on the night of the miracle rampage through the internet. Each account is slightly different, but all claim that its lyrics mysteriously appeared out of thin air. Apparently Shining informed the reporters earlier on that many of his idols will be singing it at a future charity event. Hoping that their turn of fortune might rub off on others, y'see. There's even word that actor Ryuuya Hyuuga and newly debuted singer Tomochika Shibuya will be collaborating again in the future. The radio repeats it for weeks thereafter.

Ryuuya needs to sit in the office again. About half a month of craziness put him way behind on workloads. Ren simply tags along in wait of his first job. The rest of STARISH are absent, so he has to at least represent.

Camera crews also catch him making planned transactions with a floral delivery service. 'A loving gesture by the agency's children' they call it. More boxes of potted plants line windowsills next to the flowers of two weeks past. Ren can't stop his love for the blooming beauties (despite the amount of trouble one had put him in).

He places another vase on Ryuuya's desk, earning himself an incredulous glare. "Wait! This rose is red. It's entirely different."

Ren's car still lies in wait for him at the private parking section. He finally got the keys back. Ryuuya only walks him up to the door. The place outside is still swarming with cameras, and these moments are personal. While wrapped up in each other's arms, the couple share a few farewell kisses.

Ren stares at him seriously. "About last night.."

“Hm?"

"I might want a cat."

"No."

 


	23. Omake: Lovers' Beach Resort!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a random blurb scenario that has nothing to do with the story that just ended. It was packed in with the other story so I might as well post it too.

Waves crash and recede, a soft whirring in the distance. Sunlight trickles through translucent white curtains. A small breeze slips in, like wispy kisses on bare toes and noses. In the distance, there's a soft tinkling of wind chimes. The morning wave washes over them.

Supple orange curls twist around Ryuuya's little finger. A soft sigh. Some stretches. A surprise embrace. Gentle caresses. Soft cuddles. Closed eyes.

These entertainers are virtually free to enjoy and bask in the warmth and bliss of summer recreation and relaxation. Work is over, the two birds sent on holiday. Turks & Caicos a sublime vacation spot, the resort a secluded getaway from the hubbub of cities and occupations.

Later that morning, both head down to a little open snack shack near the sand. Ren stuffs a cranberry muffin in his partner's mouth, chuckling while walkin' away. Ryuuya scrambles to grab a hold of it, scowling in his direction. He sets it down on the plate, shaking his head. They move through the little buffet, gathering breakfast. Island music sways through the tropical air, setting the mood.

Ren pours some fresh pear juice. In a gentle voice he says, "I'm sitting down."

Ryuuya calls back, "Find one in the shade!"

The redhead nearly trips on his sandals back toward the table, some juice spilling over his hand. A hearty laugh erupts a few paces behind him. Ryuuya sassily presents him the title 'clumsy'. Ren licks his hand, stifling an annoyed laugh.

Later in the day, wrapped in each other's arms, the pair stroll the blinding white sand, delightful softness spreading under their feet. The sun blazes down on naked shoulders. Sparkling in their eyes— the reflection of the ocean. Free hands shade their faces as they inhale deep lungfuls of salty air.

Ryuuya points to the sea. Ren gives it a glance. Crashing foam is fringed by shimmering azure water. It's marvelous. Ryuuya's smile and patience doesn't waver. "No, look closer." He continues to point encouragingly.

Ren breaks the arm chain, stepping into a refreshing ankle-deep wave. The water's crystal clear. “Ah-!” There's a colourful coral reef in the short distance. Little fish dart in and out of the rocks. Ryuuya knew he'd be interested in seeing it up close. He wades out toward it, the hems of his trunks drenched. Too curious, he is.

Ryuuya dismisses him with a wave, a sheepish grin on his face. He leaves off to find their chairs again, and to get the fresh towels too. The seashore has a sleepy, light-hearted atmosphere to it.

“ _Mmmmm_..” Ryuuya licks his dry lips. He's in the mood for a 'banana mama'. An interesting drink. Ren tried it the day before. Eager eyes peer around for a beach bar.

 


End file.
